Once bitten by an infected mosquito, symptoms can appear within 10-15 days, but how does this parasite cause illness? THE MALARIA LIFECYCLE - Mosquito bite: A female anopheles mosquito carrying plasmodium parasites bites a human, and injects the parasites into the blood stream. - Liver stage: The parasites travel to the liver and multiply silently. Depending on the species, this phase can last from days to weeks. - Blood stage: Parasites leave the liver and invade red blood cells, multiplying and bursting them open. This is when symptoms manifest. - Mosquito transmission: If another mosquito bites the infected person, it picks up the parasites and spreads them to others.