Which of the following is classified as a parasitic infection?

Malaria is classified as a parasitic infection because it is caused by Plasmodium species, which are single-celled organisms known as protozoa. These parasites are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Once inside the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver and then infect red blood cells, leading to the characteristic symptoms of malaria, such as fever, chills, and anemia.

In contrast, hepatitis is a viral infection affecting the liver, gonorrhea is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and chickenpox is also a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Understanding the classifications of infections—viral, bacterial, and parasitic—is important in determining their treatments and the mechanisms by which they affect the body.