Simulation · Biology · Class 12
The two-host life cycle of Plasmodium
"The two-host life cycle of Plasmodium" is a free, interactive Class 12 Biology simulation for NEET, built on the lesson "Malaria and amoebiasis" in Human Health and Disease. Slide through the eight stages. Watch which host the parasite is in, where it is, and whether it is multiplying asexually or forming sexual stages. Asexual multiplication in the human (liver cells, then RBCs); sexual stages completed in the female Anopheles, which is also the vector. Haemozoin from bursting RBCs causes the fever.
From the lesson Malaria and amoebiasis in Human Health and Disease. Change the values and watch what happens.
The two-host life cycle of PlasmodiumBiology · Class 12
The idea behind it
NCERT §7.1
- Malaria is caused by the protozoan Plasmodium. Different species (P. vivax, P. malariae and P. falciparum) cause different types; malignant malaria, caused by P. falciparum, is the most serious and can be fatal.
- Plasmodium enters a person as sporozoites, the infectious form, through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito.
- The parasites first multiply inside liver cells, then attack red blood cells and make them burst. Each burst releases a toxic substance, haemozoin, which causes the chill and high fever that return every three to four days.
- In the human, the parasites reproduce asexually in liver cells and in RBCs; some become gametocytes, the sexual stages, inside RBCs.
- A female Anopheles biting an infected person takes up these stages. Fertilisation and further development happen in the mosquito, and the new sporozoites are stored in its salivary glands, ready for the next bite.
- The malarial parasite needs two hosts, human and mosquito, to complete its life cycle; the female Anopheles is also its vector (transmitting agent).
- Amoebiasis (amoebic dysentery) is caused by Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan in the large intestine. Symptoms: constipation, abdominal pain and cramps, and stools with excess mucous and blood clots.
- Houseflies act as mechanical carriers, moving the parasite from an infected person's faeces to food. Drinking water and food contaminated with faecal matter are the main source of infection.
Questions
2 answers
- What does the "The two-host life cycle of Plasmodium" simulation show?
- Slide through the eight stages. Watch which host the parasite is in, where it is, and whether it is multiplying asexually or forming sexual stages.
- Is this simulation free?
- Yes. It is free and runs in the browser on a phone or a laptop. It belongs to the lesson "Malaria and amoebiasis" in Human Health and Disease (Class 12 Biology).
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