Describe one named infectious disease in terms of its: 1) Cause 2) Transmission 3) Host Response 4) Major Symptoms 5) Treatment 6) Prevention 7) Control

Disease: Malaria Cause: 4 species of the protozoan, Plasmodium Transmission: The Anopheles mosquitoes are the hosts that transmit the disease to humans during the blood-sucking process. Symptoms: The different stages in the life cycle of the protozoan cause the different symptoms of the disease: - When the pathogen first enters the blood, it travels to the LIVER CELLS, where it hides from the immune system. There, it multiplies rapidly, producing dozens of cells called merozoites - …

…only very slowly. Treatment of sufferers includes using anti-malarial drugs such as quinine (effective against parasites in red blood cells), and primaquine phosphate (works in both blood and liver cells). Some strains of plasmodium are resistant however. Prevention: Protective clothing, insect repellent, mosquito nets. Control: Aims to keep incidence of disease to a minimum in population. Drugs to destroy vector, and parasite. Destroying vector's habitat. Vaccines against plasmodium. Genetic engineering of mosquitoes to resist parasite.