Question

During malaria, recurrent chills and fevers are associated with the release of

• A. sporozoites from lungs
• B. sporozoites from $RBCs$
• C. merozoites from $RBCs$
• D. trophozoites from $RBCs$

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

The amoeboid trophozoite of Plasmodium after active feeding becomes rounded, grows in size and becomes a schizont. Schizonts undergo schizogony producing oval shaped merozoites inside the $RBCs$. With the rupture of the $RBC$, the merozoites along with hemozoin (malarial pigment) are liberated into the blood plasma. The released haemozoin is toxic and induces high fever and shivering, characteristic of the malaria fever. The released merozoites invade fresh corpuscles to repeat the erythrocytic cycle. One complete erythrocytic cycle takes $48$ houra in Plasmodium vivax.