MALARIA LIFE CYCLE
The life cycle of malaria is long enough to discuss.We will not discuss the whole life cycle of the malaria parasite but some terminologies related to the life cycle so that it would be easy to understand the whole life cycle.
Schizogony
The life cycle of malaria in humans is referred to as “schizogony.”
The word “schizogony” comes from the Greek roots: “schizo-” meaning “to split” or “to divide” “-gony” meaning “generation” or “reproduction.”
The name is given because a phase named “schizont” happens again and again in the life cycle of the malaria parasite in humans. Now we will discuss what happens in the schizont phase.
During this stage:
The malaria parasite undergoes multiple rounds of DNA replication and nuclear division without immediate cytokinesis, resulting in a multinucleated cell.
So, in one cell, there are multiple nuclei. The nucleus has split and multiplied itself.
The term “schizont” reflects this process of splitting or dividing, as the nuclei within the cell are “splitting” or dividing into multiple copies.
Schizophrenia
Though we are discussing malaria now, we will divert a little. We have discussed the term “schizo,” which is related to the disease schizophrenia, a known disease to us.
We have discussed the “schizo” term earlier, and the “phren” term here means “mind.” So combined, the term means “splitting of the mind.” Now we will discuss the characteristics of the disease and why the disease is named so.
What actually happens in schizophrenia
Normal Reactions: In everyday life, when we experience events, our reactions and emotions are typically coherent and connected. For example, if someone receives good news, they might feel happy and express that joy through smiling or celebrating.
Disconnection in Schizophrenia: In individuals with schizophrenia, this coherence can become disrupted. Their emotional responses may not match the situation they are in. For instance: If they receive good news, they might show little to no emotional reaction (flat affect) or even express sadness instead.
So the main summary is: when certain things happen in our life, we react, and our reactions and emotions are coherent or connected with the event that happened in our life. But for a person who has schizophrenia, their reaction is not coherent with what happened to them. So their emotions are kind of divided or split up from the event that happened. That is why the disease is called so.
THE TERM MEROZOITE
When you study the life cycle of malaria, immediately after the term “schizont,” you will encounter the term “merozoite.”
In the schizont phase, one cell with multiple nuclei is formed. Immediately after this stage, the multinucleated schizont undergoes a process where the cytoplasm divides around the nuclei, resulting in the formation of individual cells called “merozoites.”
This process occurs during hepatic schizogony, which is the part of the life cycle that happens in the liver. In this phase, you will find the term “schizont” referring to the multinucleated cell, and then “merozoite” referring to the individual cells that are created from the schizont.
The merozoite is the phase when new cells are formed from the single multinucleated cell, and these merozoites are released to invade red blood cells.
“Mero-” actually comes from the Greek word “meros” (μέρος), meaning “part” or “portion.” The suffix “-zoite” comes from the Greek “zoon” (ζῷον), meaning “animal” or “living being.” So, “merozoite” essentially means “a small, living part” or “a portioned living entity.” The term refers to the fact that merozoites are small, individual parts that have been formed from the larger schizont.
MERISTEM
The word “meristem” is from the same origin as the word “meros.”
A meristem is a region in plants where cells are actively dividing and differentiating into various types of tissues. So it is a region where individual parts are being created, which is the meaning of “meros.”
These regions are crucial for plant growth and development, as they are responsible for producing new cells that will form the various parts of the plant, such as leaves, stems, and roots.
Two common words we use containing the root are “polymer” and “monomer.”
Monomer: Means “single part” or “single unit” (from “mono-” + “meros”).
Polymer: Means “many parts” or “many units” (from “poly-” + “meros”).