3.1.5 Protist Diseases

Malaria

• Cause: Malaria is caused by protist pathogens that invade and multiply within red blood cells, ultimately damaging and destroying them.
• Symptoms: The main symptoms of malaria include fevers and shaking, which occur when the protists burst out of the infected blood cells. These symptoms can be severe and recur in cycles as the protists continue to infect and destroy red blood cells.
• How it is Spread: Malaria is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito, which acts as a vector. The protists reproduce sexually within the mosquito. When an infected mosquito bites a human, it punctures the skin to feed on blood, and the protists are transferred into the human bloodstream through the mosquito's saliva.

• Prevention:
  • Insecticide-Treated Nets: Sleeping under insecticide-coated nets helps protect against mosquito bites, particularly at night when mosquitoes are most active.
  • Eliminating Breeding Sites: Removing stagnant water sources, where mosquitoes lay their eggs, reduces the number of vectors and lowers the risk of malaria transmission.
  • Antimalarial Drugs: Travellers to malaria-endemic areas often take antimalarial drugs, which kill the parasites if they enter the bloodstream, providing protection against the disease.