MALARIA PARASITE AND ITS EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.1 Introduction
Malaria parasite is regarded as one of the most serious health problems facing almost the whole world today. It was noted that this parasitic disease is caused by species of protozoa called Plasmodium Spp. Within the compass of medical environment, malaria was known to be a parasitic disease that gets into human system through the pathogenic bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito. (Knudsen, 2002).
Malaria parasite was also found to be mostly infective to the children under 5-6years and pregnant women, this is because this group of people usually builds antibodies which do not prevent the endemic disease of the parasite, but tolerate the victim to a point where it is not consistently lethal (WHO 2006). In the year 1880
Alphonsus lavaran first observed this parasite at it merizoit stage and was published in the B “Bullentine de Aeademic de medicine pariss”. Futher findings on this malaria parasite were carried on by Italian doctors. Which includes Golgi manson, Baslianelli etc. This people observed the mechanism of spreading and the life cycle of the parasite. It was also estimated that 270 million new malaria infection occur worldwide along with 110million cases of illness and 2million deaths, where 25% of children’s death in Africa are attributed to malaria parasite (WHO 2006).
Malaria parasite being a parasite which falls into protozoa called sporozoa, it means that they are spore formers, their life cycle involves and alternation of generation, one which is sexual and the other asexual method of reproduction. The sexual and asexual generation in this parasite take place in two different hosts. In a complex life cycle like this where the parasite has two host, the definite and the intermediate host. In the definite host, the parasite carries out the sexual part of the reproduction of which female anopheles mosquito is the host which the asexual part will be carried on in the intermediate host which is in the human blood system (Franklin and wehrle 2008).
According to chees Brough (2007) this plasmodium Spp which is the causative agent of this malaria parasite are of four varieties species that attacks man. They are (a) Plasmodium Vivax which cause tartian malaria, or vivax malaria (b) Plasmodium Malaria, the cause of quatain malaria also called malaria malariae (c) Plasmodium Oval that causes oval malaria and finally (d) Plasmodium Falciparum which is the agent of malignant tartian malaria. With skill and experience these organs and the different disease they cause can be possibly differentiate from each other.
Among all the mosquitoes that suck blood, it is the female species that has the quality capable of sucking blood, the male mosquitoes are vegetarians which means plant feeders, they feed on the plant juice which they suck. It is the female mosquito in the genus anopheles that bites man to suck blood, and in the process inject the malaria parasite in the body system.
Infectious mosquito contains in their salivary gland plasmodia which occur in spindle – shaped form known as sporozonite. Once a mosquito that is parasitise by this organism feeds on the host liver (intermediate host), it inject the sporozoites, these migrate to the host liver where in the parenchymal cells they multiplies asexually. This pact of cycle is known as exo-erythrocytic schizogony, exo-erythrocytic indicates that it take place outside the red cell, “schizogony” literally meaning splitting generation. This Malaria Parasite leaves the liver cells, enter red blood cells, and begin the erythrocytic schizogony phase. While para-erythrocytic cycle continue in the parenchymal cell of the liver. The exception being plasmodium falagraum which do not undergo paraerythrocytic schizogony cycle in the red cell the malaria parasite grows in size making use of globin in haemoglobin as its source of protein as amino acid, the residual product collects as a pigment.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that lives part of its life in humans and part in mosquitoes. Malaria remains one of the major killers of humans worldwide, threatening the lives of more than one third of the world’s population. It thrives in the tropical areas of Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, where it strikes millions of people. Each year 350 to 500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide. Sadly, more than 1 million of its victims, mostly young children, die yearly.
Although malaria has been virtually eradicated in the United States and other regions with temperate climates, it continues to affect hundreds of people in this country every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 1,200 cases of malaria are diagnosed each year in the United States. People who live in the United States typically get malaria during trips to malaria-endemic areas of the world.
Malaria is a disease of human which causes high morbidity and mortality. Disease is of global importance, results in 300–500 million cases yearly and 1.5–2.7 million deaths annually (WHO 2006). Approximately 2.48 million malarial cases are reported annually from South Asia, of which 75% cases are from India alone. Blood is the most easily accessible diagnostic tissue. Changes in haematological parameters are likely to be influenced by any disease condition which affects the haemopoetic physiology at any level. This is likely to happen with an endemic disease such as malaria that affects the host homeostasis at various fronts resulting in a myriad of clinical presentation. Malaria is a major cause of morbidity in the tropics. Two hundred and forty seven million cases were reported worldwide in 2006. Haematological changes are some of the most common complications in malaria and they play a major role in malaria pathology. These changes involve the major cell lines such as red blood cells, leucocytes and thrombocytes. In Western Kenya, severe anaemia is the predominant severe malaria syndrome peaking in the first two years of life and is attributed to Plasmodium falciparum.
1.3 Objectives of the study
The objectives of the study were to;
- to examine the symptoms of malaria parasite in an infected individual
- to find out the rate of malaria effectiveness on human body
- to ascertain the likelihood that malaria infected individual will spread the diseases to others
- to access the ability of the body to fight off the infection.
1.4 Significance of the study
1.5 Limitation of the Study
The limitations which were inherent in an ethical study of this nature is limited to the topic the effect of malaria parasite on human health given the factors like;
Time: Considering the time available, it was difficult for the researcher adequately collect relevance information which could improve the quality of the work presented.
Finances: Material used for this research was collected from various sources. This involves huge transportation cost which as a student was unavoidable. This made the researcher limit its source of information to area easily accessible.
1.6 Definition of terms
Malaria: A serious disease, fever caused by a protozoan parasite which invades the red blood cell and is transmitted by mosquitoes in many tropical and sub tropical regions.
Parasite: An organism that grows, feeds and it’s sheltered on or in a different organism while contributing nothing to the survival of its host.
Malaria Parasite: A protozoan of the sporozoan genus plasmodium that is transmitted to Humans or to certain other mammal or birds by the bite of mosquito.
Infection: The invasion and multiplication of Plasmodium spp. such as bacteria, virus and parasite.
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