Malaria Treatment FAQ:
I know that heterozygous individuals are (for the most part) safe from getting malaria, but I’m not sure if you MUST be heterozygous for this to be true, or if you can have the homozygous alleles (have the disease) and still be protected.
I know that heterozygous individuals are (for the most part) safe from getting malaria, but I’m not sure if you MUST be heterozygous for this to be true, or if you can have the homozygous alleles (have the disease) and still be protected.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
homozygous is actually more protected because malaria cannot take over the sickle shaped blood cells.
Not necessarily, but in any case if you are at risk of getting malaria and sickle cell you already have AIDS so they are the least of your problems.
First, malaria and sickle cell have nothing to do with AIDS, sorry 2nd poster. Homozygous means you have sickle cell. This changes the chemical composition of your red blood cells and inhibits them from carrying oxygen. The cells are a “sickle” shape, which changes what can go in and out of the cell, including malaria. So, malaria can’t infect the sickle cells. It is believed that sickle cell developed solely as a protection from malaria.