For a 2 micron cell diameter (a relatively large bacterium or a very small eukaryotic cell), the 4 nm thickness implies an aspect ratio of 1:500, similar to the case of an airplane.
Malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium. Human malaria is caused by four different species of Plasmodium: P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale and P. vivax. Humans occasionally become infected with Plasmodium species that normally infect animals, such as P. knowlesi.
The cause of malaria is an infection with a malaria parasite. There are several types of malaria parasites, each belonging to the genus Plasmodium.hile an infection with a Plasmodium parasite actually causes malaria, there is another important species in malaria transmission. This is the Anopheles mosquito. Anopheles mosquitoes are important because they actually transmit Plasmodium to humans through a bite.