Concept:The malarial parasite
Plasmodium specifically infects liver cells and red blood cells, and can affect kidneys during severe infection, but it does not directly infect the brain parenchyma.
Explanation:The life cycle begins when a female
Anopheles mosquito injects sporozoites into the human bloodstream.
These sporozoites travel to the liver and invade liver cells, where they multiply into merozoites. Therefore, the liver is a site of action (Option A is correct).
The merozoites then enter the bloodstream and invade red blood cells, feeding on hemoglobin and multiplying. Thus, red blood cells are a site of action (Option C is correct).
In severe malaria, infected red blood cells can obstruct capillaries in the kidney, leading to renal complications. Hence, the kidney can be affected (Option B is correct).
However,
Plasmodium does not directly invade and infect the brain parenchyma. While cerebral malaria involves clogging of brain microvessels by infected red cells, the parasite itself does not infect brain cells. Therefore, the brain is NOT a direct site of action (Option D is incorrect).
Answer:D. Brain