Which maturation stage of RBCs is infected by Plasmodium falciparum -: (A) Reticulocyte stage only, (B) Normoblast stage, (C) Old RBC, (D) RBC of all ages
Answer is D. The causative agent of the deadliest form of malaria, the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, is a protozoan that is transmitted by mosquitoes to humans in the form of stringlike sporozoites that attack the liver, multiply in liver cells, and then invade red blood cells( all stages of rbcs present in blood) in the form of micron-sized, droplet-shaped Ref Harrison20th edition pg 1045