CASE HISTORY Purna,a Six-Year-Old Boy in India's State of Assam,fell Ill with Ill

Essay

CASE HISTORY
Purna,a six-year-old boy in India's state of Assam,fell ill with fever.At the time,prolonged rainfall had left vast pools of water,breeding mosquitoes.First the boy felt intense chills,and his temperature rose to 40° C (104° F).He experienced nausea and intense headaches and vomited repeatedly.The fever subsided,only to return three days later.After several weeks of cycling fevers,Purna was at last brought to a clinic for examination.He showed extreme anemia,with enlarged spleen and liver.A blood film slide revealed Plasmodium falciparum,a parasite that causes malaria.In the Assam outbreak of malaria,400,000 people were infected.Some travelers who returned to the United States experienced malarial symptoms months afterward.
Explain the role of fixation and staining in the use of microscopy to identify malaria infection.