Abstract

A REVIEW ON MALARIA: BIOLOGY NATURE

Uma Shankar Sharma, Istuti Srivastav and Riya Mathur*

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Abstract

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to the World Health Organization‟s (WHO‟s) world malaria report for 2018, there were 228 million cases and 405,000 deaths worldwide. Malaria, caused by Apicomplexan parasite, is an old disease and continues to be a major public health threat in many countries. Six Plasmodium species are recognized as the etiology of human malaria, of which Plasmodium falciparum is popular in East and Southern Africa. Malaria is transmitted mainly through Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus, the two most effective malaria vectors in the world. Antimalarial drugs are key tools for the control and elimination of malaria. Recent decreases in the global malaria burden are likely due to the deployment of artemisinin-based combination therapies. Antimalarial drugs used in the treatment of malaria caused by species other than Plasmodium falciparum also have adverse effects. The objective of this review is to identify the different molecules used in the treatment of these forms of malaria and the adverse effects they cause in humans. Malaria parasite has a complex life cycle that takes place both inside the mosquito and human beings. Generally, diagnosis of malaria is classified into clinical and parasitological diagnoses. Various diagnostic techniques were adopted rapid diagnostic testing (RDT), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is not routinely used because equipment and reagents are expensive and requires highly skilled personnel. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a relatively new molecular diagnostic tool for malaria with all the advantages of PCR (sensitive and specific) without the mentioned disadvantages.

Keywords: Malaria, antimalarial drugs, Diagnosis, rapid diagnostic tests, Plasmodium Falciparum, Plasmodium vivax.