Malaria Characteristics Flashcards
(41 cards)
What is the characteristic periodicity of the life cycle of Plasmodium vivax?
- Exhibits a 48-hour cycle.
Which type of red blood cells does Plasmodium vivax preferentially infect?
- Tends to infect young red blood cells.
What is the notable feature regarding the size of red blood cells infected by Plasmodium vivax?
- Infected red blood cells exhibit enlargement.
What is the term for the stippling seen in Plasmodium vivax-infected red blood cells after 8-10 hours?
- Schuffner dots, also known as true stippling.
Describe the appearance of the ring form of Plasmodium vivax trophozoite.
- The ring form of Plasmodium vivax trophozoite is delicate in appearance.
How would you characterize the trophozoite of Plasmodium vivax?
- Very amoeboid in nature.
How many merozoites are typically contained within a mature schizont of Plasmodium vivax?
- A mature schizont of Plasmodium vivax usually contains 12-24 merozoites.
What is the characteristic cycle duration of Plasmodium malariae (quartan malaria)?
- 72-hour cycle, indicating a relatively long incubation period.
Which type of red blood cells does P. malariae tend to infect?
- Tends to infect old red blood cells.
What is the size of the red blood cells infected by P. malariae?
- Normal-sized red blood cells.
Does P. malariae exhibit stippling in infected red blood cells?
- **No stippling. **
How would you describe the appearance of the ring and nucleus in P. malariae trophozoites?
- Exhibit a thick ring and have a large nucleus.
In what pattern does the trophozoite of P. malariae tend to form across the infected cell?
- Tends to form “bands” across the infected cell.
How many merozoites are typically found in a mature schizont of P. malariae?
- A mature schizont of P. malariae typically contains 6-12 merozoites.
What is the characteristic cycle duration of Plasmodium ovale?
- 48-hour cycle.
Which type of red blood cells does P. ovale tend to infect?
- Infect young red blood cells.
How would you describe the appearance of infected red blood cells in P. ovale?
- Show enlarged cells with fimbriated edges, forming an oval shape.
What distinguishes P. ovale from P. vivax in terms of Schuffner dots?
- Schuffner dots appear in the beginning in red blood cells with very young ring forms in P. ovale, in contrast to P. vivax.
How does the size of the ring form in P. ovale compare to that of P. vivax?
- The ring form in P. ovale is smaller than that in P. vivax.
In what way is the trophozoite of P. ovale different from that of P. vivax?
- The trophozoite of P. ovale is less amoeboid than that of P. vivax.
How many merozoites does the mature schizont of P. ovale typically contain?
- The mature schizont of P. ovale contains an average of 8 merozoites.
What is the characteristic cycle duration of Plasmodium falciparum (malignant tertian malaria)?
- 36-48 hours.
Which types of red blood cells does Plasmodium falciparum tend to infect?
- Tends to infect any red blood cell regardless of age, leading to potential heavy infections.
