FIGURE 1.

Lifecycle of Plasmodium falciparum (adapted from Cox, 2010). The cycle starts when a mosquito inoculates motile Plasmodium sporozoites, which then move from the dermis to the liver, through the bloodstream. The sporozoites invade the hepatocytes and proliferate. One week after, the liver schizonts burst, releasing a great number of merozoites into the bloodstream. These invade the erythrocytes and start the asexual cycle, with some parasites developing into male and others into female gametocytes (precursors of gametes). After feeding, the Anopheles mosquito ingests the gametocytes from the blood. Once inside their vector, they can reproduce sexually, originating in an ookinete and then an oocyst. The oocyst bursts, releasing sporozoites, which migrate to the salivary glands and the cycle is complete.