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[email protected] | Twitter @IAMAT_Travel | Facebook IAMATHealth THE ENEMY area. Of the 460 Anopheles species, approximately 100 can transmit malaria Sunset — the hunt for human blood begins. parasites. From dusk to dawn the female Anopheles, Mosquitoes prey on a variety of hosts — the malaria-carrying mosquito searches for a host humans, monkeys, lizards, birds — carrying to supply her with blood. Blood is an absolute different species of malaria parasites which in necessity for her because it provides the protein turn infect only specific hosts. Of the approxi- needed for the development of her eggs which mately 50 different species of malaria parasites she later deposits in her breeding place. sharing the genetic name Plasmodium, only She has a tiny, elegant body, measuring 5 infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, from 8 mm to 1 cm. She has dark spots on the killer; Plasmodium vivax; Plasmodium ovale, her wings, three pairs of long, slender legs and Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium knowlesi. a prominent tubular proboscis with which The latter, a malaria parasite of Old World she draws blood. monkeys, has been identified to infect humans Fig. 1 Female Anopheles mosquito. The Anopheles enters your room at night. in Southeast Asia. In the past this parasite has Image source: World Health Organization You may recognize her by the way she rests been misdiagnosed as Plasmodium malariae.