Identify the correct features associated with the life cycle of Plasmodium.
(A) Malaria is caused by pathogenic protozoa.
(B) The fertilisation of Plasmodium takes place in human gut.
(C) The malarial parasite reproduces asexually in human RBCs.
(D) Gametocytes are the mature infective stage of malarial parasite.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A) and (C) only
Plasmodium needs two hosts: the female Anopheles mosquito and the human. Each stage of its life cycle belongs to one of them.
(A) Malaria is caused by pathogenic protozoa. — Correct. Plasmodium is a tiny protozoan, and its different species cause different types of malaria.
(B) The fertilisation of Plasmodium takes place in human gut. — Incorrect. Fertilisation takes place in the intestine of the mosquito, after it has sucked blood that holds the gametocytes.
(C) The malarial parasite reproduces asexually in human RBCs. — Correct. The parasite first multiplies in the liver cells and then in the red blood cells, which burst and release the toxin haemozoin. This causes the fever that comes back every three to four days.
(D) Gametocytes are the mature infective stage of malarial parasite. — Incorrect. The stage that enters the human body is the sporozoite. The gametocytes form in the red blood cells and infect only the mosquito.