Malaria Essay -- essays research papers fc

Malaria     Malaria parasites have been with us since the beginning of time, andfossils of mosquitoes up to 30 million years old show that malarias vectorhas existed for however as long. The parasites causing malaria atomic number 18 highly specific,with man as the except host and mosquitoes as the only vector. Every year,300,000,000 people are unnatural by malaria, and while less than nonpareil percent ofthese people die, in that respect are still an estimated 1,500,000 deaths per year. WhileMalaria was one of the first infectious diseases to be treated successfully witha drug, scientist are still looking for a cure or at least a vaccination immediately(Cann, 1996). Though many people are aware that malaria is a disease, they areunaware that it is career threa ecstasying, kills over a million people for each one year, andis a very elusive target for antimalarial drugs (Treatment of Malaria, 1996).     Being a very specific disease, malaria is caused by only four protozoalparasites plasmodium falciparum, malaria parasite vivax, Plasmodium ovale, andPlasmodium malariae. Not only is the disease specific, unless the parasites aretoo, with only 60 of 380 species of female genus Anopheles mosquitoes as vectors.With the exclusion of Plasmodia Malariae which may affect other primates, allparasites of malaria have only one host, Homo sapiens. Because some mosquitoescontain substances toxic to Plasmodium in their cells, not all species ofmosquitoes are vectors of Plasmodium. Although very specific, malaria stillcauses disruption of over common chord hund reddened million people worldwide each year (Cann,1996).     The life cycle of the parasite causing malaria exists between twoorganisms, humans and the Anopheles mosquito. When a female mosquito bites ahuman, she injects an anticoagulant saliva which keeps the human discharge andensures an even flowing meal for her. When the vector injects her s aliva intothe human, it also injects ten percent of her sporozoite load. Once in thebloodstream, the Plasmodium travel to the liver and vomit up by asexualreproduction. These liver cells then burst releasing the parasites guts intothe bloodstream where they then enter red blood cells. Here, the Plasmodium function on hemoglobin and reproduce again by asexual reproduction. Afterwards, thered blood cells burst and release the parasites. Some of the para... ...ion people annually. Asthe Plasmodium parasites mutate more and more to resist the effect ofantimalarials, it becomes harder for scientist to find a cure (Treatment ofMalaria, 1996). Over forty percent of the worlds people still at risk fromthis deadly disease, is yearning for a cheap, impressive vaccine (Cann, 1996).BibliographyDr. Cann, Alan J. PhD., "The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Malaria Database",1996, http//www.wehi.edu.au/biology/malaria/who.html.Graham, David, "Malaria-Proof Mosquitoes," Technolo gy Review, October 1996, Vol.99, Issue 7, p20-22, MAS FullTEXT ELITE, Nancy Guinn Library.Herman, Robert, "Malaria," naked as a jaybird Groliers Multimedia Encyclopedia, Copywrite 1996."Atovaquone and Proguanil for Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria," Lancet, June 1,1996, Vol. 347, Issue 9014, p1511-1515, MAS FullTEXT ELITE, Nancy Guinn Library."Limited Imagination," Economist, September 28, 1996, Vol. 340, Issue 7985, p80-82, MAS FullTEXT ELITE, sissy Guinn Library."Treatment of Malaria," New England Journal of Medicine, September 12, 1996, Vol.335, Issue 11, p800-807, MAS FullTEXT ELITE, Nancy Guinn Library.