Question

Malignant malaria is caused by _______ whereas benign tertian malaria is caused by _________.

• A. Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum
  
• B. Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium vivax
• C. Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax
• D. Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae

Answer 1

The correct option is C Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax

Malaria is a protozoan disease caused by the Plasmodium sp. and transmitted through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito.

The different types of malaria caused by the Plasmodium species can be summarised as:

Causative agent	Type of malaria caused
Plasmodium falciparum	Malignant malaria
Plasmodium vivax	Benign tertian malaria
Plasmodium malariae	Quartan malaria (fever repeats after every 72 hours)
Plasmodium ovale	Tertian malaria (fever repeats after every 48 hours)

The common symptoms of the disease include recurring fevers, chills, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, etc. However, the different pathogens vary in their incubation periods, life cycle stages and the severity of symptoms manifested.


Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the majority of deaths caused by malaria all over the world. The rest of the species are not as life threatening as Plasmodium falciparum. Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes usually adhere to the vascular endothelium of the walls of the veins and do not freely circulate in the blood. This can hinder blood flow to the brain, leading to cerebral malaria, which is highly fatal. Thus control and prevention of malaria is highly important.

Plasmodium vivax, is mostly prevalent in the tropical and temperate zones of the world. The disease is named benign as it does not have fatal consequences. The fever relapses in every 48 hours and hence the name tertian malaria. Everytime an RBC ruptures to release more parasites into the blood, a toxin named hemozoin is released. The wastes released by the Plasmodium parasite together with the heme (iron porphyrin part) released due to haemoglobin breakdown forms hemozoin. This toxin immediately triggers the immune response of the body which results in fevers and chills. The relapse of the fever depends on the life cycle of the pathogen and the periodic rupturing of the RBCs. Thus, option c is correct.