Plasmodium falciparum

General: Of the Plasmodium sp., it causes the most rapid and most severe morbidity & mortality. This is primarily due to having the highest parasitic load and the ability to induce RBC adherence to the endothelium, eventually blocking capillaries and causing ischemic damage. This is by way of proteinaceous knobs on the RBC cell surface.

Clinical: Rarely found in the U.S.; most infections are in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as other undeveloped areas globally.

Resistance:

Growth characteristics: