Malaria Parasites Hide from Humans Until Mosquito Season

Research by an international team suggests that malaria parasites wait silently during mosquito-free dry season until their carrier can fly freely when the rainy season comes. Including Pennsylvania State scientist, the international team that authored the study, the research explains how Plasmodium Falciparum parasite thrives despite the destruction of its lifecycle, which requires development within the host waiting to be transferred to humans.

Manuel Llinás, a Penn State professor of biochemistry and molecular biology said in an interview that one of the greatest mysteries in studying malaria is understanding how the parasite survives with the lack of mosquito and human interaction during the dry season. According to Manuel Llinás' Laboratory, Plasmodium falciparum is diverse and involves complex developmental stages in different hosts namely the mosquito, the human liver, and the human red blood cells.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mentioned that about 2 thousand Americans are infected by Malaria each year. World Health Organization (WHO) recorded an estimate of 228 million cases of Malaria worldwide in 2018. In the same year, WHO African Region recorded 93% of malaria cases and 94% malaria deaths. 

The study also shows that in many areas of the globe where malaria can be endemic, the dry season eliminates all the breeding grounds of the mosquitos which makes the infected asymptomatic of the disease, but once the mosquitos come in, symptomatic cases of the disease sharply rise.

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Are the Malaria Parasites During Dry Season Different from the Mosquito Season?

Headed by Silvia Portugal at Heidelberg Hospital, the study was made possible by sending the members of her lab to Mali by comparing blood samples from carriers of malaria to non-infected people. She added that with the help of the experts in many of these areas they can show that parasites during the dry season appear very different but most of its differences are promoted by a less efficient adhesion of infected cells.

Llinás on the other hand said that their team would like to explore any metabolic differences. He added that metabolic changes may impact the parasites for them to be undetected until the next rainy season when transmission resumes.

Llinás expressed their excitement because of the data they gathered. According to the Penn State professor, the results suggest that there are both-derived human adaptations as well as parasite adaptations during the dry season when people are not exposed to mosquitoes. He added that it is alluring to hypothesize that during the wet season, mosquito biting alters the development of the parasite in humans to favor enhancement development and transmissions to mosquitos. However, this phenomenon remains a mystery and is yet to be discovered.

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Symptoms of Malaria

According to WHO, Malaria is a Febrile Illness. Symptoms of individuals who are not or may not be immune to the disease usually appear 10-15 days after the infective mosquito bite. Fever, headache, and chills are the symptoms of malaria making it a bit tricky to be recognized as one. WHO emphasized that not being treated within 24-hours can progress into severe illnesses that can cause death.

Is there a vaccine for Malaria?

CDC on the other hand expressed the difficulty of producing a vaccine for Malaria. They said that the parasite commonly carried by the mosquito can evade the immune system by constantly changing its surface so developing the vaccine against these varying surfaces is very difficult.

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