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Multiple Choice
When a mosquito infected with Plasmodium first bites a human, the Plasmodium _____.
A
remains in the mosquito's saliva and does not enter the human
B
is destroyed by stomach acid
C
immediately invades red blood cells
D
is injected into the bloodstream as sporozoites
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Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the life cycle of Plasmodium, the parasite responsible for malaria, focusing on the stage when it is transmitted from the mosquito to the human host.
Recall that when an infected mosquito bites a human, it injects Plasmodium in a specific form called sporozoites through its saliva into the human bloodstream.
Recognize that sporozoites travel quickly from the bloodstream to the liver, where they invade liver cells to multiply before infecting red blood cells.
Note that Plasmodium does not remain in the mosquito's saliva without entering the human, nor is it destroyed by stomach acid since it bypasses the digestive tract during transmission.
Conclude that the correct description of the initial event is that Plasmodium is injected into the bloodstream as sporozoites when the mosquito bites the human.