Introduction to Microbiology : Assignment
Added on 2021-04-17
8 Pages2441 Words91 Views
Disease and Disorders
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Running head- MICROBIOLOGYDiscussion on Plasmodium infectionName of the StudentName of the UniversityAuthor Note
1MICROBIOLOGYPlasmodiumis agenusthat belongs to unicellularparasites that have been identifiedresponsible for the incidence of malariaamonghost organisms. This unicellular parasite has alife cycle that occurs inside the body of two hosts, namely, a vertebrate and a dipteran insecthost(Ariey et al., 2014). These species are found to contain several features that resemble othereukaryotes. The genome is present in the nucleus. It doubles the genome in the insect host’smidgut for a brief time (Bushell et al., 2017). The essay will discuss its life cycle and the varioushost factors that influence its infection. The Plasmodium life cycle involves several changes inside the insect and vertebratehosts. The parasites present in the salivary glands of infected mosquitoes, are called sporozoitesthat are injected in the bosy of the host, along with the saliva when a mosquito bites thevertebrate. They enter the bloodstream and are transported to the liver, following which theyundergo invasion and replication in the hepatocytes (Delves et al., 2012). Merozoites emergefrom the infected hepatocytes and form a ring-shaped structure that enlarges to form atrophozoite. These are then found to mature to form schizonts that multiply and produce newmerozoites. This is followed by bursting of the infectred RBCs, thereby allowing the merozoitesto travel and infect new cells (Ke et al., 2015). Upon infection, sime merozoites are found todifferentiate into male and female gametocytes that are taken up by a mosquito, when it feeds onthe vertebrate host. They move to the vector’s midgut and develop into male and femalegametes, followed by fertilization and subsequent zygote formation. An ookinete is graduallyformed from the zygote that penetrates the midgut wall and develops an oocyst, which in turnforms elongated sporozoites (Theisen et al., 2014).Several differences exist in the physiology of the human host that directly influences thepattern of transmission of the Plasmodium infection. These factors also affect the severity of the
2MICROBIOLOGYdisease. Due to the fact that the stages of the lifecycle are quite complex, human beings are eitherimmune or non-immune to malaria, the disease caused by Plasmodium. Innate or naturalimmunity to malaria is regarded as the host’s inherent refractoriness that prevents infectionestablishment or inhibitory response against parasite introduction (Boyle et al., 2015). Thisimmunity is naturally present in human body and independent of previous infections. Alterationsin hemoglobin structure or certain enzymes confer protection against severe manifestation of theinfection. People living in areas of high malaria prevalence commonly exhibit these traits. Duffyglycoprotein is a receptor for chemicals, secreted during inflammation of blood cells. Presence ofDuffy negativity in RBCs also protects againstPlasmodiuminfection (Wright & Rayner,2014).Acute infection is also found to induce non-specific, immediate immune response thatlimits progression of the infection. This is primarily mediated by extrathymic, primordial T cells,and autoantibody producing-B1 cells. Several genetic conditions, such as, thalassemia, inheritedhemoglobin disorders and Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) polymorphism plays anessential role in protecting against this infection (S Balgir, 2012). Children and women withweak immunity are more susceptible to malaria infection in endemic areas. Poor socio-economicfactors and lack of adequate prevention literacy also influence transmission (Cdc.gov, 2018).Plasmodium infection is generally caused due to several parasite factors. ThefemaleAnophelesmosquito picks up the parasite from bloodstream of infected people whilebiting them and obtains that blood to nurture their eggs. Inside the mosquito host body, theparasites are found to develop and reproduce. Upon biting a person for another time, theseparasites present in the salivary glands of the mosquitoes get injected inside the host and arepassed into the blood of the host. Therefore, salivary glands invasion is one of the major eventsthat result in vector-borne disease transmission.Microvasculature obstruction and parasite
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