Cerificate

This is to certify that Miss HEENA MEENA of Class XII 2007-

2008 has dome the project based on

“Plasmodium”
She has satisfactory carried on her project report for Chemistry
Biology Practical Examination. The candidate herself done all the
work related to this candidate under my personal guidance &
supervision.
Her approach to the project was sincere efforts and her constant
persuasion during this project could get her project completed.

Approved By

Mr. Suresh Gupta Mrs. Madhubal

Purohit
Vice Principal HOD : biology Deptt.

Manish Sharma
 Biology lab assistant

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

No one would ever achieved success anywhere & anytime had

there been the support of people around. I am fortunate to have

such people around me as my parents, teacher, guide and my

friends

Firstly I owe a deep sense of gratitude to our Chairman Sir –Mr.

S.L. Kumawat, Director Sir –Dr. Pradeep Kumawat & Vice

Principal Sir –Dr. Pradeep Kumawat & Vice Principal Sir Mr.

Suresh Gupta for their kind cooperation. I am indebted to them.

As the number of such personals to whom I am indebted is many

therefore it is not workable to mention them here, but I shall be

failing my duties if I do not place my genuine and cordial gratitude

to my guide Mrs. Madhubala Purohit whose unparallel Knowledge,

moral fiber and judgment along with her know-how was an

immense source of muse in completing this critique.

HEENA MEENA
XII Science

1. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Classification
Phylum - Protozoa
Unicllular of Acellular Organism
Subphylum - Plasmodroma
No contractile vacuole or
locomotory organelles are
found.
Class - Sporozoa
Sporozoites are vacuole or
worm like ; sexual reproduction

occurs.
Subclass - Telosporea
Order - Haemosporidia
Life cycle digenetic, Intracellular
 Parasites of RBCs, schzogony in
Primary host, motile zygote.
Genus - Plasmodium
Parasite of RBC of mammals,
reptiles and birds, vector host
usually mosquito.

Introduction
(i) Plasmodium name was given by Marchiafava and
celli.
(ii) Plasmodium was discovered by Laverson.
Species
(i) There are 60 species of Plasmodium which are well

known till date.

(ii) In humans only 4 species causes disease. These 4
species are as follows:
 Plasmodium vivax.
 Plasmodium falciparum.
 Plasmodium malariae.
 Plasmodium ovale.
 (iii) P. vivax is the most common species which is found in
India.
(iv) P. ovale is found in Phillippines and tropical Africa.

2. LIFE CYCLE:
(i) Life cycle of Plasmodium is digenetic.
(ii) Man is the primary host.
(iii) Female Anopheles is the secondary host.
(iv) Female Anopheles can be also called intermediate
vector.
Controversy:
According to medical student primary host is female
Anopheles.
Reason:
Since, Sexual phase of Plasmodium get completed in female
Anopheles.
Reason:
 Since, Malaria appears in man.

Trophozoite
(i) fully grown malarial parasite is called trophozoites.
(ii) Trophozoites lives inside R.B.C. of man.
(iii) Trophozoite remain surrounded by double
membranous cell membrane.
(iv) With in the cell, endosplasmic reticulum, free
ribosome, mitochondria and golgi complex is found.
(v) No contractile vacuole is found within the cell.
Life cycle of Plasmodium in man
(i) In human body Plasmodium complete its life cycle at

two places, these places are liver and RBC.

 (ii) In liver Pre erythrocytic cycle and Exoerythrocytic
cycle is found.
(iii) In RBC Erythrocytic cycle is found.
Structure of the sporozoite
(i) Structure of sporozoite was studied by Graham.
(ii) Sporozoites are spindle or sickle shaped.
(iii) In sporozoite only one elongated nucleus is found.
(iv) Length of sporozoite varies from 6 u to 15 u.
(v) Body of sporozoite remain covered by pellicle.
(vi) With in pellicle of sporozoite microtubules are found
which helps in wriggling movement of sporozoite.
(vii) Number of microtubules varies from species to species.
 (viii) At anterior end of sporozoite 3 or 4 concentric rings
are found which combindly form a structure called
apical cap.
(ix) At the tip of the sporozoite a small aperture is found
called micropyle.
(x) Two secretory orgenelles remain attached with
micropyle.

Species Number of
Microtubules
a. Plasmodium vivax 11
b. Plasmodium ovale 13
c.
Plasmodium falciparum 15
d.
Plasmodium malariace Not Known

Function of Secretory organelle

Secretory organelle secretes lytic secretion which helps in

penetration of sporozoite within the liver.
 (xi) At posterior end of sporozoite, 1 mitochondria is found.
(xii) Within ½ an hour all sporozoites disappear from blood
stream and attacks the liver.
Pre-erythrocytic phase or Pre erythrocytic schizogony
(i) Within liver cell sporozoite actively feed on its
cytoplasm.
(ii) Because of feeding sporozoite becomes some
what spherical structure approximately 45 u in
size, called schizont.
Controversy :
Some authors believe that sporozoite after feeding develops
into spherical structure called cryptozoite.
i.e. sequence of pre erythrocytic phase is sporozoite-
Cryptozoite-Schizant – Cryptomerozoites.
(iii) In schizont multiple fission takes place as a result
1000-1500 cryptozoites are formed and such
multiple fission is called schizogony.
(iv) Due to excessive pressure of crytomerozoites,
schizont and liver cell get rupture and
cryptomerozoites get released in sinusoids (blood
sinuses) of the liver.
(v) Cryptomerozoite attacks new liver cells and starts
pre exo-erythrocytic phase.
 (vi) Some of the crytomerozoites attacks erythrocytes
and starts erythrocytic cycle.
Exo- erythrocytic phase or Exo-erythrocytic schizogony
(i) Like sporozoites cryptomerozoites attacks on liver cells

and feeds on its cytoplasm and get enlarged in shape

and become schizont.
(ii) Like pre-erythrocytic phase, multiple fission
(schizogony) takes place in the nucleus of schizont, as a
result numerous metacryptomerozoites get formed.
(a) Micrometacryptomerozoits
(b) Macrometacryptomerozoites

(a) Micrometacryptomerzoites
(i) It is small is size.
(ii) It attacks on erythrocytes and continues erythrocytic
cycle.
(b) Macrometacryptomerozoites
(i) It is large in size.
(ii) It again attacks on liver cell and continues exo-
erythrocytic cycle.
Erythrocytic cycle
 (i) This cycle was studied by golgi hence it is called
golgi phase.
(ii) Erythrocytic phase get completed in 48 hours.
(iii) When micrometacryptomerozoites attacks RBC,
erythrocytic phase starts.
(iv) Generally one micrometacryptomerozoites attacks
one erythrocytes only.
(v) In erythrocytic phase following stages are found.
(A) Trophozoite stage
Micrometacryptomerozoites with in erythrocytes feeds on
cytoplasm get developed into trophozoite stage, which is
adult stage of the Plasmodium

(B) Signet ring stage

Trophozoite increase in size and a non contractile vacuole
get formed in the trophozoite.
Nucleus get arranged at one corner as a result ring like
structure get formed, this stage is called signet ring stage.
Controversy:
Some authors believe within Plasmodium falciparum 2 signet ring
get formed.
(C) Amoeboid stage
 (i) This stage is also called growth period.
(ii) In this stage vacuole disappears froms the
trophozoites.
(iii) Trophozoites starts feeding more actively upon
cytoplasm and haemoglobin of the host RBC.
(iv) It absorbs the cytoplasm of the RBC by diffusion
through its surface or by active pinocytosis.
(v) Haemoglobin breaks down into globin and the red
pigment hematin. Globin get digested.
(vi) A number of yellow and orange coloured granules
get formed in cytoplasm of RBC which is called
schuffner’s granules.

(D) Schizogony of erythrocytic cycle

(i) Amoeboid phage increases in size and becomes
round, now it is called schizont.
(ii) Nucieus of schizont undergoes multiple fission as a
result 12-24 daughter nucleus get formed.
(iii) Daughter nucleus goes to periphery and cytoplasm
accumulates around it and schizoids get formed.
 (iv) Schizoids remain arranged on the periphery of
schizont and haemozoin in the middle, this stage is
called Rosette stage.
(v) Finally both schizont and RBC get burst
(vi) Schizoites and haemozoin both get liberated in the
blood.
(vii) Liberation of haemozoin leads to shivering and
malarial fever.
(viii) In P. vivax upto this stage, cycle get complete in 48
hours malarial fever get repeated.
(ix) The ruptured RBC called ghost are destroyed in the
spleen so, spleen is called graveyard of RBC.
(x) The interval between inoculation of sporozoites in
human blood and first attack of fever is called
Incubation period.
(xi) With in spleen ruptured RBC is dissolved by
lysolecithin, secreted within spleen.
(xii) In this disease, liver and spleen also get increased in
size hence called hepatomegaly and spleen
omegalgy.
(E) Development of Gametocyte
(i) After number of erythrocytic cycles some schizoites
 invading from RBC grow not into normal schizonts
but into a different kind of rounded form called
gametocytes.
(ii) Gametocytes get matured in bone marrow and spleen
in about 96 hours.
(iii) Ratio of microgametocyte and macrogametocyte is
1:2 Gametocytes are of two types:
(i) Microgametocyte
(ii) Macrogametocyte
(i) Microgametocyte
(a) Microgametocyte is male gametocytes
(b) Male gamelocyle are less in number
(c) In male gametocyte haemozoin remain scattered in
cytoplasm
(d) Microgametocyte is small in size
(e) Large nucleus is found in microgametocyte.
(f) No reserve food is found in microgametocytes
(g) Cytoplasm of male gametocyle is slightly brown in
colour.
(ii) Macrogametocyte
(a) Macrogametocyte is female gametocytes.
(b) Macrogametocyte is large in shape.
(c) Macrogametocyte are more in number.
 (d) Reserve food is found.
(e) Futher development of gametocytes are not possible
in human body. because of high body temperature.
(f) Gametocytes remain alive in the body for 1-2 day
only.
(g) Gametocytes is infective stage for mosquito.
Life cycle of plasmodium in mosquito (Infection to
mosquito)
In gametocytes maximum Haemozoin is found,
(i) When female Anopheles sucks blood of infected
person. Anopheles sucks blood of infected person.
Anopheles sucks