GCSE · Biology · AQA · Spec 8461

Malaria

There are two living things in the malaria story — and only one of them is the cause.

Biology · Malaria

Who does what in the malaria story?

Here are six pieces of the malaria story. Pick each one and give it its job — decide first, then read why.

Still to sort

The pathogen (the cause) (0)

The microorganism that causes the disease.

Where the line is: Being part of the story isn't the same as causing it. Only one item here is the microorganism that actually causes malaria.

The vector (0)

The animal that the pathogen's life cycle includes.

Where the line is: The vector is not the cause. Swap the pathogen and the vector and the whole story comes out wrong.

What it does to a person (0)

What malaria does to someone who has it.

Controlling the spread (0)

What is done to stop malaria spreading.

Where the line is: An effect is what happens to someone who has malaria. A control is aimed at the spread.

6 of 6 still to sort.

Look at the controls column when you've finished: both of them go after the mosquito. Neither one touches the protist directly.

Watch out: The mosquito is part of the story, but it isn't the cause. Pathogen = the protist. Vector = the mosquito.

Biology · Malaria

So what actually causes malaria?

Malaria is an infectious disease, so something has to be causing it.

Which is closest to what you think causes malaria?

A virus. It's an infectious disease, so it must be a virus.Bacteria. That's what causes infections.The mosquito itself.A protist — a microorganism.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

A virus. It's an infectious disease, so it must be a virus.

This is a common misconception

Viruses are pathogens, but they're only one of four kinds: viruses, bacteria, protists and fungi. Malaria's pathogen isn't a virus — it's a protist.

Bacteria. That's what causes infections.

This is a common misconception

Bacteria cause some infectious diseases, but not all of them. Pathogens can also be viruses, protists or fungi — and for malaria, the pathogen is a protist.

The mosquito itself.

This is a common misconception

This is the big one to get rid of. A pathogen is a microorganism that causes infectious disease, and the mosquito isn't that. The mosquito is malaria's vector. The protist that causes malaria has a life cycle that includes it.

A protist — a microorganism.

This matches the evidence

Yes. Of the four kinds of pathogen — viruses, bacteria, protists and fungi — malaria's belongs with the protists. The mosquito is involved, but as the vector, not the cause.

Malaria is the disease. The protist is its pathogen. The mosquito is its vector. Three different things — keep them apart.

Two controls, one target

Preventing mosquitos from breedingvsUsing mosquito nets

Start with what they share — then find the one real difference.

Focus

Which living thing it acts on

Preventing mosquitos from breeding

The mosquito — the vector

Using mosquito nets

The mosquito — the vector

The insight

Same target. Neither control goes after the protist directly; both go after the mosquito.

What it is for

Preventing mosquitos from breeding

Controlling the spread of malaria

Using mosquito nets

Controlling the spread of malaria

How it does the job

Preventing mosquitos from breeding

Stops mosquitos from breeding

Using mosquito nets

Stops people being bitten

Biology · Malaria

Your turn: explain it in your own words

Explain how the spread of malaria is controlled. [3 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Mosquitos are the vectors of malaria (1 mark)
The malarial protist has a life cycle that includes the mosquito (1 mark)
Preventing mosquitos from breeding (1 mark)
Using mosquito nets to avoid being bitten (1 mark)

Model answer

Mosquitos are the vectors of malaria, and the malarial protist's life cycle includes the mosquito. So the spread is controlled by acting on mosquitos: preventing them from breeding, and using mosquito nets so that people avoid being bitten.

Two moves: first say why the mosquito is the target (it's the vector), then give both controls and what each one stops.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

One disease, two living things — which one causes it, and which one do we go after?

What you need to know

A pathogen is a microorganism that causes infectious disease. Pathogens can be viruses, bacteria, protists or fungi.
The pathogen that causes malaria is a protist.
The malarial protist has a life cycle that includes the mosquito. Mosquitos are malaria's vectors, not its pathogen.
Malaria causes recurrent episodes of fever — fever that keeps coming back — and it can be fatal.
The spread of malaria is controlled by preventing mosquitos from breeding and by using mosquito nets to avoid being bitten.

The big picture

Malaria is caused by a pathogen: a microorganism that causes infectious disease. Pathogens can be viruses, bacteria, protists or fungi, and the pathogen behind malaria is a protist. The malarial protist has a life cycle that includes the mosquito, and mosquitos are malaria's vectors. Malaria causes recurrent episodes of fever and can be fatal, and its spread is controlled by preventing mosquitos from breeding and by using mosquito nets to avoid being bitten.

Key points

1Pathogen = the cause. For malaria, that's a protist.

2Vector = the mosquito. It's in the story, but it isn't the cause.

3Malaria brings fever that keeps coming back, and it can kill.

4Both controls go after the mosquito, never the protist directly.

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Worked example

Problem

Fix this sentence from a student's notes: "Malaria is a mosquito that gives you a fever." What has gone wrong, and what should it say?

⚠ Watch out

Saying the mosquito causes malaria. It doesn't — the protist is the pathogen. The mosquito is the vector.

🧠

Memory hook

Protist and Pathogen both start with P — pair them up. The mosquito gets the other job: vector. And every way of controlling the spread goes after the vector.

✓

Check yourself

A friend says mosquito nets are pointless against malaria because a net doesn't do anything to the protist. What would you tell them?

Flashcards

(9)

What is a pathogen?

A microorganism that causes infectious disease.

What four types of pathogen are there?

Viruses, bacteria, protists and fungi.

What type of pathogen causes malaria?

A protist.

Which animal is malaria's vector?

The mosquito. Its job is vector — not pathogen.

What does the malarial protist's life cycle include?

The mosquito.

What does malaria do to a person?

It causes recurrent episodes of fever, and it can be fatal.

In malaria, what does "recurrent" fever mean?

Fever that comes back again and again, in separate episodes.

Name the two ways the spread of malaria is controlled.

Preventing mosquitos from breeding, and using mosquito nets to avoid being bitten.

Which living thing do both malaria controls act on?

The mosquito — the vector — rather than the protist.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Who does what in the malaria story?

So what actually causes malaria?

Your turn: explain it in your own words

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