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…
Malaria, a historically lethal infectious disease, has influenced human evolution by promoting protective genetic traits. In populations where malaria prevalence is high, a genetic variation called sickle cell trait provides protection against the disease in one copy, while two copies cause sickle cell disease. Researchers have now discovered that people with sickle cell trait are predominantly infected by a unique strain of malaria parasites, which may contribute to their reduced risk of disease.
This finding, published in Nature Microbiology, suggests that the sickle cell trait not only alters human responses to infection but also influences which parasites can establish an infection. The study, conducted in Cameroon, analyzed the genetic makeup of over 2,000 individuals and the malaria parasites infecting them, revealing distinct genetic differences between the parasites that infect people with and without the sickle cell trait.
Despite similar infection rates, those with sickle cell trait are about ten times less likely to develop symptomatic malaria. This indicates that the biological characteristics of the parasite strain may play a role in the trait's protective effects. The researchers emphasize that studying the interplay between humans and malaria parasites could lead to new strategies for controlling the disease.
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