Plasmodium Life Cycle & Transmission — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2026Let us take a glance at the life cycle of Plasmodium. Plasmodium enters the human body as sporozoites (infectious form) through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquito. The parasites initially multiply within the liver cells and then attack the red blood cells (RBCs) resulting in their rupture. The rupture of RBCs is associated with release of a toxic substance, haemozoin, which is responsible for the chill and high fever recurring every three to four days. When a female Anopheles mosquito bites an infected person, these parasites enter the mosquito's body and undergo further development. The parasites multiply within them to form sporozoites that are stored in their salivary glands. When these mosquitoes bite a human, the sporozoites are introduced into his/ her body, thereby initiating the events mentioned above. It is interesting to note that the malarial parasite requires two hosts – human and mosquitoes – to complete its life cycle; the female Anopheles mosquito is the vector (transmitting agent) too.
NTA tests whether students understand that Plasmodium enters the human body specifically as sporozoites (the infectious form) through mosquito saliva, not in any other stage. Students often confuse this with other parasite life cycles or forget that sporozoites are the actual transmissible stage. The key trap: mixing up when different stages occur—sporozoites are in mosquito salivary glands and injected during a bite, while merozoites develop in human RBCs. Remember: Female Anopheles mosquito → sporozoites in salivary glands → human bite → sporozoites enter bloodstream. This distinction between life cycle stages in different hosts is crucial for malaria questions.
This paragraph was tested 2 times in NEET.
Arrange the stages of Plasmodium life cycle in proper order: A. Asexual reproduction in RBCs (rupture); B. Asexual reproduction in liver cells (rupture); C. Gametocytes develop in RBCs; D. Sporozoites reach liver via blood; E. Female mosquito injects sporozoites during bite.
The infectious stage of plasmodium that enters the human body is : (NEET 2020)
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