Question

Name the host in which the parasite completes its sexual stages and explain the changes taking place.

Hint:

Sexual cycle \(\rightarrow\) Mosquito. Asexual cycle \(\rightarrow\) Human. The mosquito is technically the definitive host because sexual reproduction happens there.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Concept: 
Plasmodium is a digenetic parasite, requiring two hosts to complete its life cycle: humans (asexual cycle) and mosquitoes (sexual cycle). 
Step 2: Detailed Explanation: 
1. Host: The sexual stages are completed in the female Anopheles mosquito. 
2. Process: 
- When a mosquito bites an infected person, it ingests gametocytes along with the blood meal. 
- Fertilization and development take place in the mosquito's intestine/gut. The male and female gametes fuse to form a zygote. 
- The zygote develops and undergoes multiple divisions to form mature infective stages called sporozoites. 
- These sporozoites escape from the gut and migrate to the mosquito's salivary glands, where they are stored until the next bite. 
Step 3: Final Answer: 
Female Anopheles mosquito is the host where fertilization occurs in the gut, eventually producing sporozoites.