Hemoglobin E protects against acute Plasmodium vivax infections in a Kachin population at the China –Myanmar border

Malaria has been a strong selection force responsible for the extremely high frequencies of certain red blood cell (RBC) disorders such as the hemoglobinopathies and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in human populations from malaria endemic regions1,2. This “malaria hypothesis”, originally proposed by Haldane to explain that the highly prevalent thalassemias in the tropical and subtropical populations might confer protection against malaria,3 has been extensively investigated, and supported by strong epidemiological, clinical, genetic and in vitro evidence4,5.

Source: Journal of Infection - July 2, 2018 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Zeshuai Deng, Qing Li, Haoan Yi, Yanjie Zhang, Fang Yang, Hong Li, Lan Luo, Limei Ma, Zhaoqing Yang, Yongshu He, Liwang Cui Source Type: research