Malaria parasite that forms in mosquito midgut

Malaria, caught mid-journey.

These are ookinetes — the form the parasite takes inside a mosquito's stomach, after mating there. Their one job is to drill through the gut wall and settle in, eventually sending a new generation up to the mosquito's salivary glands, loaded and ready for the next bite.

Look for the "floating" green ring at the parasite's tip: that's the tool it breaks in the host cell with, and essentially its mouth.

🟩 Parasite skeleton 🟥 Structures at the parasite tip 🟦 DNA