Microbiology

The diagnostic characteristics of Plasmodium falciparum are best described by which one of the following statements?

An impoant diagnostic feature is the irregular appearance of the edges of the infected RBC.

A period of 72 hours is required for the development of the mature schizont, which resembles a rosette with only 8 to 10 oval merozoites.

Except in infections with very high parasitemia, only ring forms of early trophozoites and the gametocytes are seen in the peripheral blood.

Schuffner stippling is routinely seen in RBC's that harbor parasites.