ANIMAL DIVERSITY – I (NON-CHORDATES)

most pathogenic of all the malarias due to pernicious malaria and blackwater fever
caused by it. It is commonly fatal, especially in children and elderly. Symptoms
include uncontrollable shivering, high fever and finally profuse sweating. Other
symptoms include headache, bone and muscle pains, malaise, anxiety, mental
confusion and ever delirium. Severe anemia and leucopenia are common.
In chronic malaria infections, liver and spleen become enlarged and jaundice may
follow.
One could not however explain the ethnic differences in malaria. White people are
more susceptible to malaria and blacks have greater tolerance. An abnormal condition
in man called “sickle cell anemia” provides protection against Falciparum malaria.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT:
In spite of the tremendous advances in malaria research made over the past decade,
many basic problems are still unsolved. Masses of people in tropic and semi tropic
countries lack economic resources to combat the mosquito menace or to treat the
affected patients. There is shortage of well-trained specialists in epidemiology and
entomology who understand malaria. To add to the woes, mosquitoes are increasingly
becoming resistant to insecticides. The need of the hour is therefore to control the
occurrence of malaria which can be achieved by
Destruction of Anopheles mosquito
Prophylaxis or Prevention of infection
Treatment of infection
Destruction of Anopheles’ larvae can be achieved by eradicating the breeding places of
mosquito which include the stagnant water such as ponds, pits, puddles, gutters, drains,
tin cans, cisterns, barrels or old tyres etc. Wherever or whenever it is not possible to
remove water, a thin film of oil can be sprayed on the water surface. The insect larvae
could also be destroyed by chemical treatment or by biological methods using larvicide
fishes like Gambusia. The adult mosquito could be killed by fumigation using sulphur,
pyrethrum, cresol, tercamphor etc or by spraying insecticides including DDT,
gammexane, pyrethrum, malathion etc.
Prophylaxis or prevention of infection can be achieved by putting screens on all the
doors, windows and ventilators of the houses. One can use mosquito-nets to prevent
mosquito-biting during night. Use of mosquito repellent creams as well as repellent
mats, coils etc help in protection against mosquito bites. One should maintain good
hygienic surroundings as well as eat healthy food to maintain a healthy body which
minimizes chances of infections.
Treatment of Malaria is by synthetic drugs like Quinine, Camoquin, Chloroquin,
Pentaquine etc. Quinine is a natural alkaloid extracted from the bark of the cinchona
tree grown in Java, Peru, Sri Lanka and India. It had been used effectively to combat
malaria for the last 300 years. Several synthetic derivatives of the drug are currently in