Plasmodium falciparum life cycle
1: Mosquito bite, transmission of sporozoite
2: Liver, Asexual replication. 1 sporozoite → 10-30,000 merozoites
3: Blood, Merozoites infect RBC and become trophozoites and consume Hgb. RBC ruptures releasing merozoites.
4: Merozoites infect other RBCs or transform into gametocytes
5: Transmission to mosquito. Sexual reproduction to make ookinete and sporozoite that migrates to mosquito salivary gland.
BWH Medicine Chiefs @BrighamChiefs
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