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Protozoan Plasmodium malariae inside red blood cell in the schizont stage, computer illustration. P. malariae is the causative agent of quartan malaria, also known as malarial malaria. It is transmitted to humans by the bite of female Anopheles mosquito. The illustration shows typical morphological features of P. malariae in the stage of mature schizont. The mature schizont of P. malariae has 6 to 12 merozoites arranged in rosettes or irregular clusters. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)