The gametocytes of the malaria-causing organism Plasmodium
A) develop into merozoites.
B) inhabit the salivary glands of Anopheles mosquitoes.
C) are the infective stage obtained from the insect vector.
D) are picked up by a feeding mosquito from the human host's blood.
E) give rise to zygotes within the mammalian circulatory system.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The gametocytes of Plasmodium are the sexual stages of the parasite that are picked up by a feeding Anopheles mosquito from an infected human host's blood. Once inside the mosquito's gut, the gametocytes undergo fertilization and develop into sporozoites, which then migrate to the mosquito's salivary glands and can be transmitted back to a new human host during the mosquito's subsequent blood meal.

The Gametocytes of the Malaria-Causing Organism Plasmodium