Plasmodium Vivax

Plasmodium vivax is a single-celled parasite that causes a widespread form of human malaria; though generally less deadly than Plasmodium falciparum, it is the most frequent and most widely distributed cause of recurring malaria and can still cause severe illness and death, particularly through a dangerously enlarged spleen. Like other malaria parasites it is transmitted by the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes, which require a blood meal to develop their eggs, while males feed only on plant nectar and do not transmit the disease.