During the blood-stage of infection with Plasmodium spp., the merozoite form of the parasite invades red blood cells (RBCs; reticulocytes and mature erythrocytes) and replicates inside them. Cycles of blood-stage replication take approximately 48 h for P. falciparum and P.

What do merozoites do?

The merozoites break out of the liver and reenter the bloodstream, where they invade red blood cells, grow and divide further, and destroy the blood cells in the process.

How do merozoites infect red blood cells?

The Plasmodium-infected mosquito injects sporozoite forms into the human host, and these migrate to the liver, where they can pass through Kuppfer cells and invade hepatocytes within which they develop into liver merozoites. These merozoites are released into the bloodstream, where they invade erythrocytes.