Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Malaria-protective traits at odds in Africa?

Nature Genetics volume 37, pages 1160–1162 (2005)Cite this article

Sickle hemoglobin and α-thalassemia evolved as two of the most common human genetic polymorphisms because they confer protection against malaria. New evidence suggests that their effects may interfere with each other, raising questions about these hemoglobinopathies and their mechanisms of protection.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Approximate distributions of malaria, HbS and α+-thalassemia in sub-Saharan Africa.

References

  1. Kwiatkowski, D.P. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 77, 171–192 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Flint, J., Harding, R.M., Boyce, A.J. & Clegg, J.B. Baillieres Clin. Haematol. 11, 1–51 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Williams, T.N. et al. Nat. Genet. 37, 1253–1257 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Allison, A.C. Cold Spring Harb. Symp. Quant. Biol. 29, 137–149 (1964).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Cavalli-Sforza, L.L. & Bodmer, W.F. The Genetics of Human Populations (W.H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Nagel, R.L. & Fleming, A.F. Baillieres Clin. Haematol. 5, 331–365 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Williams, T.N. et al. Blood 106, 368–371 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Mockenhaupt, F.P. et al. Blood 104, 2003–2006 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Allen, S.J. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 14736–14741 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Weatherall, D.J. & Clegg, J.B. Bull. World Health Organ. 79, 704–712 (2001).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Edington, G.M. & Laing, W.N. Brit. Med. J. 2, 143–145 (1957).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Devoucoux, R. et al. Ann. Hum. Biol. 18, 295–302 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Agarwal, A. et al. Blood 96, 2358–2363 (2000).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Mouele, R., Pambou, O., Feingold, J. & Galacteros, F. Hum. Hered. 50, 118–125 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. WHO-UNICEF. The Africa Malaria Report 2003 (World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2003).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, 20892-8132, Maryland, USA

    Thomas E Wellems & Rick M Fairhurst

Authors
  1. Thomas E Wellems
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rick M Fairhurst
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wellems, T., Fairhurst, R. Malaria-protective traits at odds in Africa?. Nat Genet 37, 1160–1162 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1105-1160

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1105-1160

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing