"These parasites have their own internal clock and own independent circadian rhythm"
by Cassy Beere
Malaria parasites infect a host's red blood cells but it’s been proven by Science News that these parasites have their own circadian rhythm and may explain why the host of these parasites tend to experience rhythmic fevers when infected.
A circadian rhythm is a mental, physical, or behavioral change following a daily cycle and is most responsive to light and darkness in an environment. They are made up of genes and proteins that drive daily rhythms. According to Jake Buehler of Science News, the malaria parasites do not depend on a host for an internal clock but in turn, they work on their own creating symptoms while also reproducing amidst destroying the red blood cells of the host.
Conduction of two tests by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute associate at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas on lab mice who were infected with malaria parasites has shown some results. The first test conducted was that of darkness versus light. Some mice were put in complete darkness to off-balance their circadian rhythm but the result of the mice was similar to that of mice who would have been exposed to a normal day-night cycle. The second test conducted on the infected mice was to see if their feeding schedule would change the rhythm of the parasites clock. The results of the test were that the mice had the same internal rhythm like that of a mouse that would be fed once a day.
These parasites have their own internal clock and own independent circadian rhythm. As stated in the World Health Organization (WHO), “ In 2015 malaria alone caused 438,000 deaths.” and in the 2018 statistics, mosquito-borne illnesses have caused 228 million people to become sick and 400,000 people have died.
More studies are being conducted through a molecular biologist named Steven Haase at Duke University. He and his team are growing four different malaria parasites strains in the lab and are tracking their gene activity patterns. Their next step is to reveal how the clock of the parasite actually interacts with the host, and unravel the molecular underpinnings of the parasites themselves.
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