Malaria Lifecycle Part 2: Mosquito Host (2016)

Summary

The video explains the fascinating life cycle of mosquitoes and their role in transmitting malaria. While mosquitoes primarily feed on nectar and fruit juices, pregnant mosquitoes bite humans to nourish their eggs with blood. If a mosquito ingests blood from a malaria-infected person, it becomes infected too. Inside the mosquito, malaria parasites transform into sexually active forms that travel to the salivary glands. When the mosquito bites again, it spreads the parasites to another human, continuing the cycle of infection.

Takeaways

• 😀 Mosquitoes are primarily vegetarian, feeding on nectar, fruit juices, and honeydew.
• 😀 Only pregnant female mosquitoes bite humans to obtain blood for nourishing their eggs.
• 😀 When a mosquito bites a human infected with malaria, it becomes infected with malaria parasites.
• 😀 The malaria parasites inside the mosquito's stomach are slowly digested along with the blood.
• 😀 Some of the malaria parasites inside the mosquito transform into a sexual form, becoming dormant initially.
• 😀 The malaria parasite's sexual form is triggered by the cooling of the human blood inside the mosquito's stomach.
• 😀 The female form of the malaria parasite matures into an egg, while the male form matures into sperm.
• 😀 The fertilized parasite cell migrates to the mosquito's stomach lining and forms a cyst.
• 😀 Each cyst in the mosquito produces thousands of tiny parasites.
• 😀 The parasites then infect the mosquito's salivary glands, preparing for transmission.
• 😀 When the infected mosquito bites another human, it transmits the malaria parasites through its saliva.

Q & A

What do mosquitoes typically feed on?

Mosquitoes are primarily vegetarian and feed on nectar, fruit juices, and honeydew.

Why do only pregnant mosquitoes bite humans?

Only pregnant mosquitoes bite humans to obtain the necessary nutrients from blood to nourish their developing eggs.

How does a mosquito become infected with malaria?

A mosquito becomes infected with malaria when it drinks blood from a person infected with the malaria parasite.

What happens to the malaria parasite in the mosquito’s stomach?

The malaria parasites cannot survive in the mosquito’s stomach and are slowly digested along with the rest of the blood meal.

What occurs inside the human host after a mosquito bites?

Inside the human host, some of the malaria parasites turn into a sexual form and remain dormant until the mosquito feeds again.

What triggers the malaria parasites inside the mosquito?

The malaria parasites are triggered when the warm human blood begins to cool inside the mosquito’s stomach.

What happens to the female form of the malaria parasite?

The female form of the malaria parasite matures into an egg inside the mosquito’s stomach.

How does the male form of the malaria parasite develop?

The male form of the malaria parasite takes longer to mature and becomes sperm that fertilizes the female parasite.

What happens after the fertilization of the malaria parasite inside the mosquito?

After fertilization, the parasite forms a cyst, and each cyst produces thousands of tiny parasites that migrate to the mosquito’s salivary glands.

How are malaria parasites transmitted to humans?

Malaria parasites are transmitted to humans when the infected mosquito bites another person, releasing saliva containing the parasites.