Study explains how sickle cell variant shapes malaria parasite infections

Study explains how sickle cell variant shapes malaria parasite infections

Malaria is one of the deadliest infectious diseases on the planet, afflicting people for the entirety of recorded history.

Distinct malaria parasites may help explain sickle cell trait's protection against disease

Malaria is one of the deadliest infectious diseases on the planet, afflicting people throughout recorded history. In places where malaria is most common, it's shaped human evolution by driving higher rates of a paradoxically protective genetic change. Two copies of the genetic change cause sickle cell disease, but one copy helps protect people from malaria. Understanding why could help researchers develop new ways to prevent malaria.

Hidden Malaria Parasite Strain May Explain How Sickle Cell Trait Shields

A large genomic study in Cameroon finds that people with sickle cell trait are infected almost exclusively by a genetically distinct malaria parasite variety that may partly explain their dramatically lower risk of symptomatic disease.

Distinct Malaria Parasites “Hidden in Plain Sight” May Contribute to Human Disease Protection

A new study that investigates the genetics of people and malaria parasites has found that people with the sickle cell variant of hemoglobin are almost exclusively infected by a distinct variety of malaria parasites, which might contribute to their lower rates of disease.