NDA Biology · Microbiology and Disease

Disease Vectors — Malaria

A vector is the carrier that moves a pathogen from host to host; for malaria the vector is the female Anopheles mosquito, while the pathogen it carries is the protozoan Plasmodium.

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Why this matters

The vector-vs-pathogen distinction is exactly the kind of fact the NDA loves to blur. Malaria's vector question has appeared (2025) and is a guaranteed mark if you keep two things straight: it is the FEMALE mosquito (she needs a blood meal for her eggs) and it is the ANOPHELES species (not Culex or Aedes). Learn the mosquito-to-disease map alongside it — Anopheles : malaria, Aedes : dengue, Culex : filariasis.

Concept 1 of 1

The malaria vector — female Anopheles

Intuition

Two different organisms are involved in malaria: the mosquito that carries it (the VECTOR) and the parasite that causes the fever (the PATHOGEN). The vector is the female Anopheles mosquito; the pathogen is Plasmodium. Only the female bites for blood — she needs the protein to mature her eggs — so only the female transmits the parasite.

Definition

The vector-vs-pathogen split for malaria, plus the mosquito-to-disease map:

Vector: the female Anopheles mosquito — the carrier. (The male feeds on nectar and never bites, so it cannot transmit.)
Pathogen: Plasmodium — a protozoan parasite that multiplies in the human liver, then in red blood cells.
Other mosquito vectors: Aedes carries dengue and chikungunya; Culex carries filariasis (elephantiasis) and Japanese encephalitis.

Vector = the carrier (mosquito). Pathogen = the parasite (Plasmodium). The bank loves to swap them.

Mosquito	Disease carried	Note
Female Anopheles	Malaria	Only the FEMALE bites; pathogen = PlasmodiumQ Vector = female Anopheles; pathogen = Plasmodium. Keep the two distinct. NDA 2025.
Aedes	Dengue, chikungunya, Zika	Daytime biter; tiger-striped legs
Culex	Filariasis, Japanese encephalitis	Carries the elephantiasis worm Wuchereria

Anopheles → malaria, Aedes → dengue, Culex → filariasis. The vector carries; the pathogen causes.

Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps

From the bank · past-year question

Example 1Microbiology and DiseaseEASY

The vector of malaria parasites is

[Q113 · Apr · 2025]

It's the FEMALE Anopheles, not the male

Only the female mosquito bites — she needs a blood meal to develop her eggs. The male feeds on plant nectar and never transmits disease. Distractors offer 'male Anopheles' and 'female Culex'; the answer is female Anopheles.

Vector ≠ pathogen

The mosquito is the vector (carrier); Plasmodium is the pathogen (cause). A question asking 'what causes malaria?' wants Plasmodium; one asking 'what is the vector?' wants the female Anopheles. Read which one is asked.

Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance

A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.

Reference tables (1)

The malaria vector — female Anopheles3 rows

Mosquito	Disease carried	Note
Female Anopheles	Malaria	Only the FEMALE bites; pathogen = PlasmodiumQ Vector = female Anopheles; pathogen = Plasmodium. Keep the two distinct. NDA 2025.
Aedes	Dengue, chikungunya, Zika	Daytime biter; tiger-striped legs
Culex	Filariasis, Japanese encephalitis	Carries the elephantiasis worm Wuchereria

Anopheles → malaria, Aedes → dengue, Culex → filariasis. The vector carries; the pathogen causes.

Watch out for (2)

It's the FEMALE Anopheles, not the male
→ The malaria vector — female Anopheles
Vector ≠ pathogen
→ The malaria vector — female Anopheles

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