Plasmodium falciparum, cerebral malaria and blackwater fever

In a follow-up to the podcast last week, Malaria: A general introduction and Plasmodium vivax, I continue the series on the malaria species. On today's show, Parasitology teacher and author, Rosemary Drisdelle, joins me to talk about the deadliest species of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum. P. falciparum can cause severe malaria because it multiples rapidly in the blood, and can thus cause severe anemia. In addition, the infected parasites can clog small blood vessels. When this occurs in the brain, cerebral malaria results, a complication that can be fatal.