Question

Benign tertian malaria is caused by
a) Plasmodium ovale
b) Plasmodium falciparum
c) Plasmodium vivax
d) Both A and C

Answer 1

Hint:- Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease. Malaria is a parasitic disease which is transmitted to humans through the bites of infectious Anopheles mosquitoes. Benign tertian malaria or tertian ague is a kind of malarial fever with paroxysms that recurs every second day (48hrs).

Complete step-by-step solution:-
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by plasmodium parasites. Infected mosquitoes carry the Plasmodium parasite and when these mosquitoes bite, the parasite is released into the human bloodstream. Symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, muscle ache, anemia etc. generally occur within 10 days to 4 weeks. There are mainly 4 kinds of Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria in humans- Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae. Malarial parasites enter into the human bloodstream then travel to the liver and after maturation leave the liver and infect RBCs (Red Blood Cells). Fever is induced when the erythrocytes (RBCs) rupture and merozoites are released and invade into new erythrocytes. Tertian malaria is a form of malaria in which sporulation occurs within every 48 hrs. Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale causes an acute self-limiting febrile illness with fever spikes on every second day and the illness caused by these parasites is said to be benign tertian malaria.
So, the correct option is D- Both A and C (Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale).

Note:- Malaria relapse is when infected patients recovered from illness may suffer from additional attacks after weeks, months, or even years without symptoms. Malaria relapse occurs due to P. Vivax and P. Ovale, as they form hypnozoites (latent liver stages) that remain dormant for months or years that may reactivate. Proper treatment of first attack should follow to reduce the chance of such relapses.