The diagnostics and treatment of tropical diseases

by E. R. Stitt

Malarial Toxin.—At the time that the merocyte ruptures it is supposed that a toxin is given off which causes the malarial paroxysm.

Rosenau, by injecting, intravenously, filtered blood, taken from a patient at the time of sporulation of the parasites caused a malarial paroxysm. No parasites developed later. Another man who received a small amount of unfiltered blood allowed a slight paroxysm and four days later showed parasites in his blood. Hence the parasite will not pass through the pores of a Berkefeld filter.

Schizogony.—The nonsexual cycle goes on by geometric progression from the first introduction of the sporozoite, but it is usually about two weeks before a sufficient number of merocytes rupture simultaneously to produce sufficient toxin for symptoms (period of incubation). This cycle is termed schizogony. It is considered that there must be several hundred parasites per cubic millimeter sporulating to be capable of producing symptoms.

Gametes.—After a varying time, whether by reason of necessity for renewal of vigor of the parasite by a respite from sporulation, or whether from a standpoint of survival of the species, sexual forms (gametes) develop. Some think that sporozoites of sexual and nonsexual character are injected at the same time. It is usually considered, however, that sexual forms develop from preexisting nonsexual parasites. The developing gametes are often termed sporonts. Strictly, the sexual parasites in the blood should be called gametocytes. The gametes take about twice as long to reach maturity as schizonts. The life of a crescent has been estimated as about ten days and that of the gametes of benign tertian and quartan about one-half this period.

Fig. 2.—Sexual (sporogony in mosquito) and nonsexual (schizogony in man) cycle of the malarial parasite. The sporogony diagram to the left shows in lower portion the fertilization of the female gamete by the microgamete. The vermiculus stage of the zygote is shown boring into the walls of the mosquito’s stomach to later become the more mature zygote packed with sporozoites as shown in the upper diagram of the developmental processes in the mosquito’s stomach.

Sporogony.—The gametes show two types the one which contains more pigment, has less chromatin, and stains more deeply blue is the female—a macrogametocyte; the other with more chromatin, less pigment, and staining grayish green or light blue is the male—a microgametocyte. When the gametes are taken into the stomach of the Anophelinae, the male cell throws off spermatozoa-like projections, which have an active lashing movement and break off from the now useless cell carrier and are thereafter termed microgametes. These fertilize the macrogametes and this body now becomes a zygote. (Following nuclear reduction with formation of polar bodies the macrogametocyte becomes a macrogamete). This process of exflagellation can be observed in a wet preparation under the microscope. There is first seen a very active movement of the pigment of the male gamete and finally long delicate bulbous-tipped flagellum-like processes are thrown off (exflagellated) and push aside the red cells by their progressive motion. MacCallum saw a female Halteridium fertilized by the microgamete, after which it was capable of a worm-like motion (vermiculus or ookinete).

By a boring-like movement the vermiculus stage of the zygote goes through the walls of the mosquito’s stomach, stopping just under the delicate outer layer of the stomach or mid-gut. In three or four days after fertilization the zygote becomes encapsulated and is then often called an oocyst. It continues to enlarge until about the end of one week it has grown to be about 50µ in diameter and has become packed with hundreds of delicate falciform bodies. Some only contain a few hundred, others several thousand.

Zygotes.—In some of his observations Darling has noted that the zygote of benign tertian malaria grows larger and more rapidly than that of aestivo-autumnal and that the pigment is clumped rather than in belts or lines as with aestivo-autumnal. Darling has also noted that mosquitoes do not tend to become infected unless the gamete carrying man has more than 12 gametes to the cubic millimeter of blood. Rouband notes that the oocysts of P. vivax are feebly refractile with fine granules of gray pigment in loose chains while P. falciparum ones are highly refractile with large grains of black pigment. At a temperature of 25°C. vivax completes its cycle in 11 days while the zygote of the crescent requires 14 days. Apparently it is possible for a mosquito to carry both types of parasites.

The capsule of the mature zygote ruptures about the tenth day and the sporozoites are thrown off into the body cavity. They make their way to the salivary glands and thence, by way of the veneno-salivary duct, in the hypopharynx, they are introduced into the circulation of the person bitten by the mosquito, and start a nonsexual cycle. As the sexual life takes place in the mosquito, this insect is the definitive host and man only the intermediate host. The sexual cycle or sporogony in the mosquito takes about ten to twelve days.