Case study #4 Plasmodium falciparum is the most virulent cau…
Case study #4 Plasmodium falciparum is the most virulent causative agent of malaria. This parasite has a trophozoite form that must undergo a life cycle within the gut of the female Anopheles mosquito to be naturally transmitted to the next host. The parasite also has separate trophozoite forms in the liver and blood of humans. If the malaria parasite is introduced into a pregnant woman, it can cross the placental barrier and infect the developing fetus. People at increased risk for malaria infection are children under 5 years old, pregnant women, and people with AIDS (active HIV infection). Defend your answer to the previous question – why or why not would chloramphenicol, which binds to the 50S ribosomal subunit, be effective at treating a P. falciparum infection?