Plasmodium falciparum is a protozoan parasite, one of the species of Plasmodium that cause malaria in humans. It is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito. This species causes the disease's most dangerous form, malignant or falciparum malaria. It has the highest complication rates and mortality. Around the world, malaria is the most significant parasitic disease of humans and claims the lives of more children worldwide than any other infectious disease.