eMedicine Specialties > Emergency Medicine > Infectious Diseases

Malaria: Multimedia

Author: Miguel C Fernández, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, FACMT, FACCT, Associate Clinical Professor; Medical and Managing Director, South Texas Poison Center, Department of Surgery/Emergency Medicine and Toxicology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: May 29, 2009

Multimedia

Malarial merozoites in the peripheral blood. Note...
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Media file 1: Malarial merozoites in the peripheral blood. Note that several of the merozoites have penetrated the erythrocyte membrane and entered the cell.
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Malarial merozoites in the peripheral blood. Note...

Malarial merozoites in the peripheral blood. Note that several of the merozoites have penetrated the erythrocyte membrane and entered the cell.

This micrograph illustrates the trophozoite form,...
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Media file 2: This micrograph illustrates the trophozoite form, or immature-ring form, of the malarial parasite within peripheral erythrocytes. RBCs infected with trophozoites do not produce sequestrins and, therefore, are able to pass through the spleen.
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This micrograph illustrates the trophozoite form,...

This micrograph illustrates the trophozoite form, or immature-ring form, of the malarial parasite within peripheral erythrocytes. RBCs infected with trophozoites do not produce sequestrins and, therefore, are able to pass through the spleen.

An erythrocyte filled with merozoites, which soon...
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Media file 3: An erythrocyte filled with merozoites, which soon will rupture the cell and attempt to infect other RBCs. Notice the darkened central portion of the cell; this is hemozoin, or malaria pigment, which is a paracrystalline precipitate formed when heme polymerase reacts with the potentially toxic heme stored within the erythrocyte. When treated with chloroquine, the enzyme heme polymerase is inhibited, leading to the heme-induced demise of non–chloroquine-resistant merozoites.
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An erythrocyte filled with merozoites, which soon...

An erythrocyte filled with merozoites, which soon will rupture the cell and attempt to infect other RBCs. Notice the darkened central portion of the cell; this is hemozoin, or malaria pigment, which is a paracrystalline precipitate formed when heme polymerase reacts with the potentially toxic heme stored within the erythrocyte. When treated with chloroquine, the enzyme heme polymerase is inhibited, leading to the heme-induced demise of non–chloroquine-resistant merozoites.

A mature schizont within an erythrocyte. These RB...
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Media file 4: A mature schizont within an erythrocyte. These RBCs are sequestered in the spleen when malaria proteins, called sequestrins, on the RBC surface bind to endothelial cells within that organ. Sequestrins are only on the surfaces of erythrocytes that contain the schizont form of the parasite.
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A mature schizont within an erythrocyte. These RB...

A mature schizont within an erythrocyte. These RBCs are sequestered in the spleen when malaria proteins, called sequestrins, on the RBC surface bind to endothelial cells within that organ. Sequestrins are only on the surfaces of erythrocytes that contain the schizont form of the parasite.

Schema of the life cycle of malaria. Image courte...
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Media file 5: Schema of the life cycle of malaria. Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Schema of the life cycle of malaria. Image courte...

Schema of the life cycle of malaria. Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More on Malaria

Overview: Malaria
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Malaria
Treatment & Medication: Malaria
Follow-up: Malaria
Multimedia: Malaria
References
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References

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  2. Cox-Singh J, Davis TM, Lee KS, et al. Plasmodium knowlesi malaria in humans is widely distributed and potentially life threatening. Clin Infect Dis. Jan 15 2008;46(2):165-71. [Medline].

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  4. Wongsrichanalai C, Barcus MJ, Muth S, Sutamihardja A, Wernsdorfer WH. A review of malaria diagnostic tools: microscopy and rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Am J Trop Med Hyg. Dec 2007;77(6 Suppl):119-27. [Medline].

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Further Reading

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Keywords

malaria, paludism, paludismo, black water fever, blackwater fever, mosquito vector, plasmodia, Plasmodium, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium falciparum, Anopheles species, mosquito, mosquito bite

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Miguel C Fernández, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, FACMT, FACCT, Associate Clinical Professor; Medical and Managing Director, South Texas Poison Center, Department of Surgery/Emergency Medicine and Toxicology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Miguel C Fernández, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, FACMT, FACCT is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Clinical Toxicologists, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Medical Toxicology, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Texas Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Eric M Kardon, MD, FACEP, Attending Emergency Physician, Georgia Emergency Medicine Specialists; Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Athens Regional Medical Center
Eric M Kardon, MD, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Managing Editor

Eric L Weiss, MD, DTM&H, Director of Stanford Travel Medicine, Medical Director of Stanford Lifeflight, Assistant Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Stanford University School of Medicine
Eric L Weiss, MD, DTM&H is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, American Medical Association, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Southeastern Surgical Congress, Southern Association for Oncology, Southern Clinical Neurological Society, and Wilderness Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

John D Halamka, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Rick Kulkarni, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital
Rick Kulkarni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: WebMD Salary Employment

 
 
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