Malaria Essay -- essays research papers fc

Malaria     Malaria parasites have been with us since the beginning of time, andfossils of mosquitoes up to thirty million years old show that malarias vectorhas existed for unspoilt as long. The parasites causing malaria are highly specific,with man as the solely host and mosquitoes as the lonesome(prenominal) vector. Every year,300,000,000 bulk are affected by malaria, and while less than one percent ofthese people die, there 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 today(Cann, 1996). Though many people are aware that malaria is a disease, they areunaware that it is life threatening, kills over a million people each year, andis a very elusive maneuver for antimalarial drugs (Treatment of Malaria, 1996).     Being a very specific disease, malaria is caused by only four proto zoalparasites Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, andPlasmodium malariae. Not only is the disease specific, but the parasites aretoo, with only 60 of 380 species of female Anopheles mosquitoes as vectors.With the exception 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 triad hundred million people beingwide 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 bleeding andensures an even flowing meal for her. When the vector injects her saliva intothe human, it also injects ten percent of her sporozoite l oad. in one case in thebloodstream, the Plasmodium travel to the liver and reproduce by asexualreproduction. These liver cells then burst releasing the parasites back intothe bloodstream where they then commemorate red blood cells. Here, the Plasmodiumfeed on hemoglobin and reproduce again by asexual reproduction. Afterwards, thered blood cells burst and release the parasites. just about 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 population still at risk fromthis deadly disease, is yearning for a cheap, effective 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," Technology Review, October 1996, Vol.99, going 7, p20-22, M AS FullTEXT ELITE, Nancy Guinn Library.Herman, Robert, "Malaria," New 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, Nance 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.