Question

Schizont stage of Plasmodium occurs in human

• A. erythrocytes only
  
• B. erythrocytes, liver cells, cardiac cells and spleen cells
• C. liver cells only
• D. erythrocytes and liver cells
  

Answer 1

The correct option is D erythrocytes and liver cells


Schizont stage of Plasmodium occurs in human liver cells and erythrocytes. Schizont divides asexually by schizogony to form daughter cells in protozoans. Sporozoites enter the bloodstream of humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Sporozoites travel to the hepatic cells through the bloodstream. In the liver cells (hepatic cells) they undergo one asexual replication cycle that results in a liver schizont containing thousands of merozoites. This is called exo-erythrocytic schizogony. Merozoite released from the liver cells penetrates erythrocytes. Inside the erythrocytes, these merozoites enlarge and are termed trophozoites. The trophozoites undergo asexual reproduction to produce schizont (erythrocytic schizogony, which eventually divides to produced merozoites and are released upon erythrocytes lysis.
Liver-stage development of Plasmodium cycle


Blood-stage development Plasmodium cycle