Question

Quartan malaria, characterized by the recurrence of fever every 72 hours is caused by
A. Plasmodium vivax
B. Plasmodium malariae
C. Plasmodium ovale
D. Plasmodium falciparum

Answer 1

Hint: Malaria is caused by protozoans parasites and the type of malaria they cause respectively. P. vivax and P. ovale cause tertian malaria. P. falciparum causes falciparum malaria.

Step by step answer:

Quartan fever is a type of malaria in which the fever occurs periodically, in an interval of three to four days. This is why the name of this type of malaria is quartan. Like other forms of malaria, it is also transmitted by bites of female mosquitoes containing the parasite Plasmodium malariae of the genus Anopheles.

Signs and symptoms:

• • Fever ranging from approximately 40 to 41 degrees Celcius.

• Occurs periodically in 72-hour intervals.

• Chills

• Headaches

• Nausea and vomiting

• Body aches

The female Anopheles mosquito acts as a vector that transmits quartan fever to the population. Mature mosquitoes are carriers of uninucleate sporozoites in their salivary glands. These sporozoites enter a human's bloodstream during a mosquito biting human flesh for feeding of blood. Sporozoites attack and colonize in liver parenchymal cells to multiply and grow. Once the uninucleate sporozoites have matured, they develop into uninucleate merozoites. The schizonts rupture and release the merozoites into the blood, causing a spread of the infection.
So, the correct option is option B.

Note: In case of P. vivax and P.ovale, the fever recurs in 48 hours. In the case of P. falciparum, the intervals are irregular. The drugs used for the treatment of malaria are chloroquine, primaquine, mefloquine, quinine, quinidine, hydroxychloroquine and many more.