Dr. Verima Peirera has a PhD in Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology from Hinduja Hospital and Research Centre and is doing post doctoral research studying Plasmodium Falciparum, a parasite that causes malaria.

Episode Notes

Music used in the podcast: Higher Up, Silverman Sound Studio

Acronyms, Definitions & Fact Check

Plasmodium Falciparum - a unicellular protozoan parasite of humans, and the deadliest species of Plasmodium that causes malaria in humans. The parasite is transmitted through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito and causes the disease's most dangerous form, falciparum malaria. (wikipedia)

Next Generation Sequencing - Next generation sequencing (NGS), massively parallel or deep sequencing are related terms that describe a DNA sequencing technology which has revolutionised genomic research. Using NGS an entire human genome can be sequenced within a single day.

Genome - the haploid set of chromosomes in a gamete or microorganism, or in each cell of a multicellular organism. (Wikipedia)

African regions carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. According to the WMR 2019, India represents 3% of the global malaria burden. Despite being the highest malaria burden country of the SEA region, India showed a reduction in reported malaria cases of 49% and deaths of 50.5% compared with 2017. (www.who.int)

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, those being unicellular, multicellular, or acellular. Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, protistology, mycology, immunology and parasitology. (wikipedia)

Steven Johnson Syndrome - a rare, serious disorder of the skin and mucous membranes. It's usually a reaction to medication that starts with flu-like symptoms, followed by a painful rash that spreads and blisters. Then the top layer of affected skin dies, sheds and begins to heal after several days. (Wikipedia)

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