Plasmodium ovale

Plasmodium ovale, a malaria causing parasite. This is a thin blood film which shows a schizont of Plasmodium ovale. The infected red blood cell (RBC) shows typical features - it is large and pale, with Schüffner's dots. The margin is ragged and irregular in shape. The nucleus of the earlier stage trophozoite divides asexually and repeatedly (schizogony) to give a total of 4 - 12 nuclear masses, with an average of 8. During the stages of division, the parasite is known as a schizont, as shown here. The cytoplasm finally segments to form separate small masses around each nucleus. The individual parasites are known as merozoites, and upon rupture of the infected RBC (at about 48 hours) they are released to infect new red blood cells. The schizont in this image has 12 merozoites.