Plasmodium falciparum
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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