Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium falciparum
Macrogametocyte (left) and microgametocyte (right) of P. falciparum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Clade:	Diaphoretickes
Clade:	SAR
Clade:	Alveolata
Phylum:	Apicomplexa
Class:	Aconoidasida
Order:	Haemospororida
Family:	Plasmodiidae
Genus:	Plasmodium
Species:	P. falciparum
Binomial name
Plasmodium falciparum (Welch, 1897)
Synonyms[1]
Oscillaria malariae Laveran, 1881 Plasmodium malariae Marchiafava and Celli, 1885 Laverania malariae Feletti and Grassi, 1890 Ematozoo falciforme Antolisei and Angelini, 1890 Haemamoeba immaculata Grassi, 1891 Haemamoeba laverani Labbe, 1894 Haematozoon falciforme Thayer and Hewetson, 1895 Haematozoon falciparum Welch, 1897 Haemosporidium sedecimanae Lewkowicz, 1897 Haemosporidium undecimanae Lewkowicz, 1897 Haemosporidium vigesimotertianae Lewkowicz, 1897

Plasmodium falciparum is a unicellular protozoan parasite of humans, and the deadliest species of Plasmodium that causes malaria in humans.^[2] The parasite is transmitted through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito and causes the disease's most dangerous form, falciparum malaria. It is responsible for around 50% of all malaria cases.^[3][4] 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 Group 2A (probable) carcinogen.

The species originated from the malarial parasite Laverania found in gorillas, around 10,000 years ago.^[5][6] 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 anopheline mosquito to humans in 1898. In 1897, William H. Welch created the name Plasmodium falciparum, which 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 of a mosquito. The sporozoites grow and multiply in the liver to become merozoites. These merozoites invade the erythrocytes (red blood cells) to form trophozoites, 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 ookinete. Ookinete forms oocytes 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.^[7] 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 malarial countries, other, less virulent plasmodial species predominate.^[8]