Pre-erythrocytic (liver) stage
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| The schizont pathway |
Infection of the mosquito
The initial mosquito bite (Image A): blood from the host is taken through as mosquito mouthparts (m) from small vessels (v). At the same time fluid from mosquito salivary glands passes into the vessel. If a mosquitos is host to the malaria organism then parasites enter the blood (in the form of "sporozoites" (sp)).
| Initial mosquito infection |
Formation and release of merozoites
The sporozoites that have entered the blood then pass through the blood vessel and into the cells of the liver (B). They may pass through multiple cells but then remain in a single liver cell (C).
| Morphological features and relevance |
Mature schizont releasing merozoites
Mature schizont releasing merozoites
| Relevance of schizonts to clinical biology |