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malaria
A tropical parasitic disease resulting from infection with one of four species of Plamodium protozoa. Transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, malaria is characterized by fever and enlargement of the spleen. The parasite multiples in erythrocytes (red blood cells), causing their destruction. Attacks of fever, chills, and sweating typify the disease and occur as new generations of parasites develop in the blood, with the frequency of attacks related to the species involved. The original antimalarial drug, quinine, has given way to synthetics such as chloroquine, although resistant strains of the main malaria parasite, P. falciparum, are spreading rapidly. With 270 million people infected, malaria is one of the most widespread diseases, claiming two million lives a year, mostly in the tropics.
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