Exo-Erythrocytic Cycle
Exo-erythrocytic = Outside ("Exo") the red cells ("erythrocytes").
- Mosquito injects sporozoites whilst searching for blood vessels in skin
- Sporozoites invade cutaneous vessels and migrate to liver and infect hepatocytes
- Each sporozoite forms a schizont which matures into thousands of merozoites
- The schizont ruptures and releases the merozoites into the bloodstream
This phase of reproduction only occurs once per infection.
- i.e. Sporozoites only come from mosquitoes
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