Five Human Genes Found to Influence Malaria Severity

Recently, a large, international multi-center study has discovered some new clues about vulnerability to severe malaria. Dr. Sarah Dunstan of the Nossal Institute of Global Health at the University of Melbourne in Australia recounted how her and her team found those five genes that have a complex role in either protecting or making people more vulnerable to severe malaria. Dr. Dunstan and her team hope that what they have found can lead to the development of new drugs and vaccines to target malaria, as even about 20% who develop severe malaria, who have good hospital treatment, die.

For their study, Dr. Dunstan and her team examined data on around 12,000 cases of severe malaria that was collected from 12 different sites across Asia, Africa, and islands around the Pacific Ocean where access to treatment facilities can be difficult. “It involved a large number of severe malaria patients from multiple countries, which allows us to identify genes that truly have an effect on whether or not you develop severe malaria,” stated Dr. Dunstan. The team found around 30 malaria resistant genes and of those, five- HBB, ABO, ATP2B4, G6PD, and CD40LG- were found to be heavily involved in determining human vulnerability to severe malaria.

I feel that with more research into these genes and why they make humans so vulnerable to such a devastating disease new drugs and treatments can possibly be made that would be very beneficial to those with this disease. Preventing malaria in developing countries, as well as other places around the world, is a very big and significant issue.  Researching more into these genes is an important step in reducing the number of deaths due to malaria. If these researchers can successfully find a way in which to incorporate these genes into bettering the prevention of or treatment for malaria, it would life changing.

Article Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283154.php