Description

Cultivation of malaria parasites is an important tool for the understanding of parasite biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, and pharmacology. Malaria represents the world's greatest public health problem in terms of number of people affected, levels of morbidity and mortality. The protozoan malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) are transmitted by infected female mosquitoes when feeding on blood. Parasites soon enter liver cells, and after several days of multiplication, are released into the bloodstream where further cycles of asexual reproduction occur, giving rise to the clinical symptoms of malaria. Some erythrocytic parasites will differentiate into presexual forms (gametocytes), which when taken up by mosquitoes in further blood meals, mature into gametes and undergo a sexual cycle Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases affecting humans particularly in developing countries. P. falciparum an apicomplexan protozoan parasite is the causative agent of the most lethal form of human malaria.