Anti-Malarials

Anti-Malarials :- malaria is highly wide spread infectious disease, caused by sporozoa of genus plasmodium. It is characterized clinically by periodic fever, anaemia and enlargement of liver and spleen. The four species, plasmodium vivax. Plasmodium malariae, plasmodium ovale and plasmodium falciparum are responsible for malaria in man. Thus thre are four type of malaria:-

Plasmodium Vivax:- Fever on alternate days

Plasmodium malariae:- Fever once in three days

Plasmodium ovale:- Fever once in three days

Plasmodium falciparum:- Fever once in four days

The chemotherapy of malaria is connected with different stages in the cycle of malarial parasite. The mosquito injects the parasite into the blood of a human being. It immediately goes to the liver cells where it multiplies. Once the parasites have grown in number, these come to blood and enter the red blood corpuscles where they also multiply. Eventually, the red cells burst liberating the parasites as well as toxins. These toxins cause fever, chills and rigour. The liberated parasites attack the fresh red cells and the cycle continues. Depending upon the periodicity of this cycle in the red cells fever comes on alternate day once in three days or once in four days. Some of the liberated parasites go back to liver and continue the cycle.