Protist diseases — AQA GCSE Biology
Test yourself on Protist diseases with AQA GCSE practice questions.
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Protist diseases explained
Malaria spreads when a female mosquito bites an infected person, picks up the Plasmodium protist, and later bites someone else.
Read the full explanation
To reduce transmission, people target the vector rather than the pathogen directly. Preventing mosquitoes from breeding means removing or treating standing water where they lay eggs, for example draining ponds, covering water containers and clearing blocked drains. Using mosquito nets, especially nets treated with insecticide, creates a physical barrier that stops mosquitoes biting people while they sleep. Other measures include insect repellents, window screens and spraying insecticides. These methods work best together because they reduce both the number of mosquitoes and the chance of being bitten, lowering the spread of malaria in a community.
Your focus
- Describe how preventing mosquito breeding reduces malaria transmission.
- Explain how mosquito nets reduce the chance of being bitten by vectors.
- Evaluate why combining several control methods is more effective than using one alone.
Protist diseases exam tips
Marking Points
- Mosquitoes are the vectors that transmit the malaria protist between humans.
- Preventing breeding involves removing or treating standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs.
- Mosquito nets act as a physical barrier that reduces the chance of being bitten.
- Insecticide-treated nets can also kill or repel mosquitoes, giving extra protection.
- Combining methods such as draining water, nets and repellents reduces malaria transmission more effectively than one method alone.
- Control measures aim to break the transmission cycle between mosquito and human.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Always link each control method to how it breaks the transmission cycle.
- 💡Use the term vector correctly when referring to mosquitoes.
- 💡Give specific examples of standing water, such as water butts, drains or discarded containers.
Common Mistakes
- Saying that mosquito nets kill the malaria pathogen; the correction is that nets prevent bites by blocking mosquitoes.
- Confusing prevention of breeding with killing adult mosquitoes; the correction is that removing standing water stops eggs and larvae developing.
- Thinking one control method is enough; the correction is that combining methods is more effective at reducing spread.