Editing Plasmodium falciparum (section)

{{Short description|Protozoan species of malaria parasite}}
{{Speciesbox
| taxon = Plasmodium falciparum
| image = Plasmodium falciparum 01.png
| image_caption = Macrogametocyte (left) and microgametocyte (right) of ''P. falciparum''
| authority = ([[William H. Welch|Welch]], 1897)
| synonyms =
* ''Oscillaria malariae'' <small>Laveran, 1881</small>
* ''Plasmodium malariae'' <small>Marchiafava and Celli, 1885</small>
* ''Laverania malariae'' <small>Feletti and Grassi, 1890</small>
* ''Ematozoo falciforme'' <small>Antolisei and Angelini, 1890</small>
* ''Haemamoeba immaculata'' <small>Grassi, 1891</small>
* ''Haemamoeba laverani'' <small>Labbe, 1894</small>
* ''Haematozoon falciforme'' <small>Thayer and Hewetson, 1895</small>
* ''Haematozoon falciparum'' <small>Welch, 1897</small>
* ''Haemosporidium sedecimanae'' <small>Lewkowicz, 1897</small>
* ''Haemosporidium undecimanae'' <small>Lewkowicz, 1897</small>
* ''Haemosporidium vigesimotertianae'' <small>Lewkowicz, 1897</small>
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite book|last1=Coatney |first1=GR |last2=Collins |first2=WE |last3=Warren |first3=M |last4=Contacos |first4=PG|year=1971|title=The primate malarias|publisher=Division of Parasitic Disease, CDC|chapter=22 ''Plasmodium falciparum'' (Welch, 1897)|pages=263|chapter-url=http://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/6538}}</ref>
}}

'''''Plasmodium falciparum''''' is a [[Unicellular organism|unicellular]] [[protozoa]]n [[parasite]] of [[human]]s, and the deadliest species of ''[[Plasmodium]]'' that causes [[malaria]] in humans.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Rich | first1 = S. M. | last2 = Leendertz | first2 = F. H. | last3 = Xu | first3 = G. | last4 = Lebreton | first4 = M. | last5 = Djoko | first5 = C. F. | last6 = Aminake | first6 = M. N. | last7 = Takang | first7 = E. E. | last8 = Diffo | first8 = J. L. D. | last9 = Pike | first9 = B. L. | last10 = Rosenthal | doi = 10.1073/pnas.0907740106 | first10 = B. M. | last11 = Formenty | first11 = P. | last12 = Boesch | first12 = C. | last13 = Ayala | first13 = F. J. | last14 = Wolfe | first14 = N. D. | title = The origin of malignant malaria | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | volume = 106 | issue = 35 | pages = 14902–14907 | year = 2009 | pmid = 19666593 | pmc =2720412 | bibcode = 2009PNAS..10614902R | doi-access = free }}</ref> The parasite is transmitted through the bite of a female ''[[Anopheles]]'' [[mosquito]] and causes the disease's most dangerous form, falciparum malaria. ''P. falciparum'' is therefore regarded as the deadliest parasite in humans. It is also associated with the development of blood cancer ([[Burkitt's lymphoma]]) and is classified as a [[List of IARC Group 2A carcinogens|Group 2A (probable) carcinogen]].

The species originated from the malarial parasite ''[[Laverania]]'' found in [[gorilla]]s, around 10,000 years ago.<ref name=loy>{{cite journal|last1=Loy|first1=Dorothy E.|last2=Liu|first2=Weimin|last3=Li|first3=Yingying|last4=Learn|first4=Gerald H.|last5=Plenderleith|first5=Lindsey J.|last6=Sundararaman|first6=Sesh A.|last7=Sharp|first7=Paul M.|last8=Hahn|first8=Beatrice H.|title=Out of Africa: origins and evolution of the human malaria parasites ''Plasmodium falciparum'' and ''Plasmodium vivax''|journal=International Journal for Parasitology|date=2017|volume=47|issue=2–3|pages=87–97|doi=10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.05.008|pmid=27381764|pmc=5205579}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Sharp |first1=Paul M. |last2=Plenderleith |first2=Lindsey J. |last3=Hahn |first3=Beatrice H. |date=2020 |title=Ape origins of human malaria |journal=Annual Review of Microbiology |volume=74 |pages=39–63 |doi=10.1146/annurev-micro-020518-115628 |pmc=7643433 |pmid=32905751}}</ref> [[Alphonse Laveran]] was the first to identify the parasite in 1880, and named it ''Oscillaria malariae''. [[Ronald Ross]] discovered its transmission by mosquito in 1897. [[Giovanni Battista Grassi]] elucidated the complete transmission from a female [[Anopheles|anopheline mosquito]] to humans in 1898. In 1897, [[William H. Welch]] created the name ''Plasmodium falciparum'', which [[International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature|ICZN]] formally adopted in 1954. ''P. falciparum'' assumes several different forms during its life cycle. The human-infective stage are [[sporozoites]] from the [[Salivary gland#Other animals|salivary gland of a mosquito]]. The sporozoites grow and multiply in the [[liver]] to become [[merozoites]]. These merozoites invade the [[Red blood cell|erythrocytes]] (red blood cells) to form [[trophozoites]], [[schizogony|schizonts]] and [[gametocytes]], during which the symptoms of malaria are produced. In the mosquito, the gametocytes undergo sexual reproduction to a [[zygote]], which turns into [[Apicomplexan life cycle#ookinete|ookinete]]. Ookinete forms [[oocyte]]s from which sporozoites are formed.

In 2022, some 249 million cases of malaria worldwide resulted in an estimated 608,000 deaths, with 80 percent being 5 years old or less.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World malaria report 2022 |url=https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789240064898 |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref> Nearly all malarial deaths are caused by ''P. falciparum'', and 95% of such cases occur in [[Africa]]. In Sub-Saharan Africa, almost 100% of cases were due to ''P. falciparum'', whereas in most other regions where malaria is endemic, other, less virulent plasmodial species predominate.<ref name="who2020">{{cite book|last1=WHO|url=https://www.who.int/teams/global-malaria-programme/reports/world-malaria-report-2021|title=World Malaria Report 2021|date=2021|publisher=World Health Organization|isbn=978-92-4-004049-6|location=Switzerland}}</ref>