Question

Paroxysm in tertian malaria occurs after every
A) 72 hours
B) 48 hours
C) 24 hours
D) 12 hours

Answer 1

Hint: Benign tertian malaria symptoms, that is, fever and chills, are shown every second day.

Complete solution:
Let us first get to know about the types of malaria and the parasites that cause them. Malaria is caused by obligate intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus "Plasmodium". The four species of human malarial parasites are Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium ovale.
Benign tertian malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale.
Benign quartan caused by Plasmodium malariae.
Malignant tertian caused by Plasmodium falciparum.
Benign tertian malaria, which is characterised by febrile paroxysms, shows the symptoms every second day or 48 hours. For example, Monday; fever, Tuesday; no fever, Wednesday; fever.
Benign quartan malaria shows symptoms with a fever every 3rd day (e.g., Monday; fever, Tuesday; no fever, Wednesday; no fever, Thursday; fever).
Malignant tertian malaria the cold stage is less pronounced and the fever stage is more prolonged and intensified (if the fever is recurring it occurs every 2nd day). However, the fever is usually continuous or only briefly remittent. This type of malaria is more dangerous because of the complications caused by capillary blockage (i.e., convulsion, coma, acute pulmonary insufficiency, and cardiac failure). Large numbers of erythrocytes are parasitized and destroyed, which may result in dark-colored urine (blackwater fever; intravascular hemolysis, hemoglobinuria, and kidney failure.).
Malarial parasite is spread by the Anopheles mosquito which acts as the vector of the parasite. The Anopheles mosquito is typically found in tropical and subtropical regions.

Note: In benign tertian malaria, the fever is induced by release of merozoites and their invasion of new red blood corpuscles.