Incubation period

The intrinsic incubation period is the time taken by an organism to complete its development in the definitive host.

The extrinsic incubation period is the time taken by an organism to develop in the intermediate host.

The time required for development in the mosquito ranges from 10 to 28 days, depending on the parasite species and the temperature.

If a female mosquito does not survive longer than the extrinsic incubation period, then she will not be able to transmit any malaria parasites.

The time between the injection of the parasite into the human and the development of the first symptoms of malaria is its intrinsic incubation period.

In some diseases, as depicted in this diagram, the latency period is shorter than the incubation period. After the latency period (but before clinical infection) the infected person can transmit the disease without signs of any symptoms. Such infection is called subclinical infection.