Protozoa virulence

Four different protozoa of the genus Plasmodium -P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale and P malariae - can cause malaria. P. falciparum is the most virulent, being responsible for virtually all fatal malaria cases. Humans are infected by a feeding female Anopheles mosquito (Fig. 2). The clinical symptoms of malaria are associated with the development of the parasite within human red blood cells, while the liver stages remain asymptomatic. The following dtugs (in alphabetical order) are currently in use for the treatment of malaria [5]. 

The technical objective would be to assure that a consumer would not be exposed to an infectious dose of a pathogen from the drinking water. Such a dose can range from a few or perhaps only one virulent organism (PFU) for polio virus or certain protozoa such as Giardia lamblia, to hundreds of Shigella or perhaps millions of opportunistic... 

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