Do Mosquitoes Cause Sickle Cell?
Until recently, scientists didn’t know whether mosquitoes cause sickle cell. A new study published in the journal Cell provides a clearer answer. The research is groundbreaking in several ways. The study challenges current views of sickle cell hemoglobin. It also opens up new therapeutic options against malaria.
Mosquitoes are the main transmitters of malaria. The parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, infects red blood cells, and damages them. The red blood cells become misshapen. The spleen then culls out the sickled red blood cells. This process reduces the severity of sickle cell disease.
Malaria is one of the most serious human diseases, and it kills more than a million people each year. It is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, but it also occurs in Southeast Asia and Central and South America. It is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito.
A new study, published in the journal Cell, offers a new understanding of the sickle-cell anaemia gene’s protection against malaria. It is believed that the gene protects against malaria by preventing the parasite from reshaping the human haemoglobin.
Sickle cell anaemia occurs in people who inherit two copies of the gene. Individuals with one copy of the gene have no symptoms and live normal lives. The other copy produces a sickle form of haemoglobin, which increases the risk of malaria. The sickle form of hemoglobin interferes with the oxygen-binding abilities of red blood cells.
Several populations have also evolved different changes in the globin genes. This process is called natural selection. The goal of natural selection is to weed out genes with undesirable consequences.