BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO PLASMODIUMS

A plasmodium is a protozoa intra-cellular parasite that is normally carried by the Anopheles mosquito. Once a human is bitten by an infected mosquito, the plasmodiums (in their sporozoites morphological state) travel to the liver, where they invade some of the liver cells in order to make merozoites (another morphological state of plasmodiums). The merozoites travel in the blood and penetrate RBCs (Red Blood Cells). Inside the RBCs, the plasmodium makes copies of itself, and depending on the species of the plasmodium, a certain number of merozoites are made inside each infected RBC.

There are 200 species of plasmodiums. Less than 2 decades ago, medical science believed that only 4 species  of plasmodiums were capable of infecting humans. However, about 15 years ago, in New York, they discovered that a woman was infected with one of the simian plasmodiums, previously believed to infect only simians (apes, monkeys). Therefore, they added that plasmodium species (P. Knowlesis) to the other four plasmodiums known to infect humans; P. Falciparum, P. Ovale, P. Vivax, and P. Malarie. These 5 plasmodium species can cause the disease named Malaria. However, I believe that there are other plasmodium species that are capable of infecting humans, and might not cause the typical Malaria symptoms. Instead, these other plasmodiums can cause symptoms similar to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and/or CFD (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and/or IBS-D (Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Diarrhea), and/or IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease).

Plasmodium infected RBCs are not capable of performing their normal function. And when they burst open, to release the merozoites, they increase the level of bilirubin in the blood. The liver might not be able to process the excess bilirubin, and might dump (into the intestine) some of bilirubin unconjugated (oil soluble) instead of the normally conjugated bilirubin (water soluble). This will cause bright yellow diarrhea or yellow soft-feces, because the intestinal bacteria can only oxidize conjugated bilirubin (turning it brown).

Depending on the number of RBCs that are infected, the infected person might feel a shortness of breath, and fatigue. Symptoms similar to anemia, not because of low RBC count, but because a certain percentage of the circulating RBCs can not perform their normal function.

FINDING PLASMODIUMS IN THE BLOOD

Finding plasmodiums in the blood is not difficult, if you have a microscope and know what to look for. Also, you should use capillary blood (from a finger tip) as recommended by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and NOT peripheral blood from an arm vein, as erroneously done by the VA healthcare system and many laboratories.

One simple method, that I found accidentally, is to make a microscope slide using capillary "live-blood" from a finger tip. Live -blood is a term I use to describe blood that has not been fixed with alcohol nor has it been stained. If we place a tiny drop of live-blood on a microscope slide and immediately cover it with a slide cover glass. Then place the slide in the microscope, set 1000x magnification, and then look at the RBCs. First focus on the top surface of the RBCs, then slowly adjust the focus to look bellow the surface of the RBCs, to see if there are any merozoites being formed inside of the RBCs, see examples bellow:







If the blood is fixed and stained, then depending on the methodology used to fix and stain the slides, and the type of stain used, we can identify plasmodiums or other types of blood pathogens. See examples bellow:
Some micrographs were captured with a simple microscope digital camera, other were captured with a 24 Megapixels Nikon Digital camera. Therefore some micrographs were cropped or shrunk to better fit this web page.

 











REFERENCES:

CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY made ridiculously simple.  (6th Edition)  (pg 343)
Paniker's Textbook of MEDICAL PARASITOLOGY   (8th Edition)
MEDICAL PARASITOLOGY A Self-Instructional Text (7th Edition)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasmodium

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