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Symptoms
Humans can manifest the disease
at a number of different stages. For persons that have been exposed to
the parasite earlier in life, they have acquired a degree of protective
immunity that can keep them from dieing of the infection. The most
susceptible members of the community are children under 5 years of age and
pregnant women. Malaria impacts many different parts of the body. The
primary infection occurs in the liver. Disrupting liver function is an
important detriment of the disease. Generally the disease is
characterized by high fever during times when the parasite is free in the
blood. A sever consequence occurs when the parasite successfully crosses the
blood brain barrier entering the brain, causing cerebral malaria. If this
does not lead to death, it leads to life-long debilitation.
"Malaria is characterized by fever, shivering,
pain in the joints, headache and repeated vomiting. The parasite lives in red
cells and eventually ruptures them, creating anemia. Severe anemia is often the
cause of death in areas with intense malaria transmission. If left untreated,
the disease progresses to severe malaria and results in convulsions and coma.
Severe malaria often causes death if there is no treatment. " [4]
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Diagnosis
Malaria is either diagnosed via a clinical diagnosis, or by detection of the
causative parasite or its product(s). The most commonly used method is
microscopic diagnosis. A more rapid diagnostic test is based on
immunochromatographic techniques. The later does not require a microscope,
an energy source, and a skilled microscopist. There are pros and cons to
all detection methods.
[1] http://www.malaria-vaccines.org.uk/1.shtml accesed on 5/1/06
[2] http://www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/224/Malaria.html accessed on 4/15/06
[3] www.cdc.gov/Malaria/facts.htm accessed on 5/1/06
[4] http://www.sbri.org/diseases/malaria.asp accessed on 5/1/06
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