Search
Plasmodium falciparum
Pathology:
- P. falciparum causes the most severe forms of malaria.
- P. falciparum merozoites infect erythrocytes of all ages.
- GYPC (CD236) is the receptor for Plasmodium falciparum merozoites
- recurrences of disease from P. falciparum or P. malariae (recrudescence) result from increased numbers of persisting blood forms, not from persisting liver forms.
Laboratory:
- Plasmodium identified in blood by light microscopy (peripheral blood smear)
- erythrocytes are normal in size without stippling
- ring forms & gametocytes seen in peripheral blood
- other forms develop within blood vessels of internal organs & are not seen on peripheral blood smear except in severe infection.
- gametocytes are crescent or elongate in shape.
- 6-32 merozoites, average 20-24
- Plasmodium falciparum serology
- Plasmodium falciparum antigen in blood
- Plasmodium falciparum DNA
Related
malaria
General
Plasmodium
Properties
KINGDOM: animal
PHYLUM: protozoa
References
- Clinical Diagnosis & Management by Laboratory Methods,
19th edition, J.B. Henry (ed), W.B. Saunders Co.,
Philadelphia, PA. 1996, pg 1260-64
- Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed.
Fauci et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1998, pg 1180-89