malaria

malaria definition - medical

ma·lar·i·a (mə-lârˈē-ə)

noun
An infectious disease characterized by cycles of chills, fever, and sweating, caused by the parasitic infection of red blood cells by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, which is transmitted by the bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito. Also called jungle fever, paludism, swamp fever.

Related Forms:

  • ma·larˈi·al, ma·larˈi·an, ma·larˈi·ous adjective

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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