Exoerythrocytic

Exoerythrocytic: life cycle of the malaria parasite

Malaria, a disease caused by the malaria parasite Plasmodium, is a serious threat to the health and lives of millions of people around the world. The life cycle of Plasmodium includes several stages, one of which is the exoerythrocytic stage, when the parasite is located inside liver cells.

The exoerythrocyte stage is so called because, unlike other stages of the life cycle where the parasite is inside the red blood cells (erythrocyte stage), in this stage the parasite is inside the liver cells. This stage begins when the malaria parasite, known as a sporozoite, enters the human body through a mosquito bite.

Sporozoites quickly enter the bloodstream and reach the liver through the blood. In the liver, they penetrate the hepatocytes (liver cells) and begin the process of reproduction. Each sporozoite divides many times and forms a schizont containing many merozoites. Merozoites are young forms of the parasite that leave hepatocytes and reenter the bloodstream, where they infect red blood cells.

This stage of the life cycle of the malaria parasite is very important, since it is during this period that the parasite has not yet entered the bloodstream and caused clinical manifestations of the disease. However, although merozoites do not cause clinical disease, they can survive in the human body for a long time and cause relapses of malaria.

That is why the exoerythrocytic stage of the life cycle of the malaria parasite is the object of intensive research by scientists. Studying this stage may help develop new methods for preventing and treating malaria.

In conclusion, the exoerythrocytic stage of the malaria parasite life cycle is an important stage that occurs in liver cells. Studying this stage may lead to the development of new methods of treating and preventing malaria, which, in turn, may help reduce morbidity and mortality from this disease.



Exoerythrocytic is a term used to describe the stages of the malaria parasite's life cycle in liver cells. The malaria parasite, Plasmodium, has a complex life cycle that includes several stages of development in different tissues of the human body. One of these stages is exoerythrocytic.

This stage begins after a mosquito has transmitted the malaria parasite to a human. After the parasite is introduced into the human bloodstream, it moves to the liver and begins to infect hepatocytes - liver cells. Inside hepatocytes, the parasite begins to multiply, passing through several stages of development. The first stage is the sporozoite phase. Sporozoites are a form of the malaria parasite that are arrow-shaped and are able to invade liver cells.

Each sporozoite, by repeated division, produces a schizont containing many merozoites. Merozoites are a form of the malaria parasite that can infect red blood cells. However, in the exoerythrocytic phase, the malaria parasite is not yet able to infect red blood cells, so this stage is considered “hidden” from the human immune system.

The exoerythrocytic stage lasts from several days to several weeks, depending on the type of malaria parasite. After this stage, merozoites leave the hepatocytes and enter the bloodstream, where they begin to infect red blood cells, leading to the development of malaria symptoms.

In conclusion, the exoerythrocytic stage is an important part of the life cycle of the malaria parasite. Despite the fact that this stage is hidden from the human immune system, it is a key point in the development of malaria. A better understanding of this stage may help develop new methods for preventing and treating malaria in the future.



The exoerythrocytic stage is the first stage of schizogony, when newly formed merozoites develop intracellularly in reticuloendothelial cells entering the blood or mesenchymal cells of various tissues.

They leave the liver cells for the second time, and after some time - in the third and fourth exoerythrocytic stages, which lasts about 21 days, exoerythroites are scraped out of the vessels by leukocytes, and then removed into the environment by peripheral blood. At the end of the exoerythrocyte period, some of the merozoite bodies die, the majority turn into metamonadal trophozoites and trophosites, which leave the liver with blood or insect cilia and pass into the erythrocyte, in which the sexual generation develops.

The exoerythrocyte cycle can be described as follows:

1. Formation of trophozoite 2. Reproduction of trophozoites 3. Development of gamonts 4. Release of gamonts into the external environment 5. Disintegration of the gamont 6. Development of sporule 7. Development of merozoite.