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Why are are people with the sickle cell trait able to resist malaria?
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
Sickle cell anemia is a genetic diseases that causes red blood cells to be shaped like sickles while normal red blood cells are shaped more like a cylinder. malaria works by going into the red blood cells until they burst. Because of the strange shape of the red blood cells in people who have sickle cell anemia, malaria can't enter in the cells that have the sickle trait, but it can enter in the others. This way, people with sickle cell wouldn't be as adversely effected then those without it.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoJust a FYI that Dr. West misspelled Sickel. It is actually Sickle. :)
Here is a good link that has some info to answer the question.
http://sickle.bwh.harvard.edu/malaria_sickle.html
Dan --
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoIt actually prevents getting malaria, due to the shape of the cells ("half-moon-shaped")
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoSickle cell anemia comes as a white pwder where the infected person rubs it on the infected part and about 48 hours later it starts it magic
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoSickle cell trait is protective against malaria, a disease caused by blood-borne parasites transmitted through mosquito bites
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoSickle cell anemia provides protection against malaria. Ana Ferreira showed that the sickle hemoglobin tolerates the malaria parasite.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoAna Ferreira did research and showed that the sickle hemoglobin tolerates the malaria parasite.
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Who are resistant to malaria?
People with sickle cell disease, or who carry sickle cell trait, are said to be resistant to malaria.
What is the heterozygous advantage of of people having sickle cell trait in areas where malaria is a major cause cause of death?
the sickle trait possess a resistance to the infection of malaria.
Where in the world are the most cases of Malaria and Sickle Cell anaemia?
Malaria is common in topical ad subtropical zones. The malaria has selected the people with sickle cell anaemia. Although person with sickle cell anemia can have malaria, the carrier, or the person with sickle cell trait is resistant to malaria.
Why are people with sickle cell trait resistant to malaria?
Not sure if this is right but could it be because the blood cell does not contain enough oxygen for the parasite to survive?
What is the benefit of having the sickle cell trait?
They can not contract malaria.
Which individuals have the greatest fitness in an area where malaria is common?
Individual homozygous for the sickle cell anemia allele
If malaria were eliminated how might the frequency of the sickle-cell allele change over time?
Since people with the sickle cell allele trait are resistent to malaria, if malaria were eliminated there would be no change in the frequncy of sickle cell allele. This is because the presense of malaria does not have an affect on patients with the sickle cell allele trait.
Does the sickle cell recessive trait decrease the body's resistance to malaria?
by mosqitos
Is sickle cell anemia recessive or dominant?
Sickle cell anemia is an autosomal recessive disease. Carriers have sickle cell trait, which confers resistance to malaria.
What are the benefits of sickle cell trait?
sickle cell trait is caused by two recessive alleles - meaning both partns must give resessive trait DNA o their child. - sickle cell anemia dose not have a benefit - or if it dose it is out waysd by the fact that people with sickle cell have very low blood oxygen as their blood cellsare dis-formed. however, if there is only one allele- ie they have A and b alleles for sickle cell. then they are more immune to malaria. a deadly parasite passed by misquotes in tropical countries.
What are People with Anemia resistant to?
Sickle cell anemia comes as the result of having two sickle cell chromosomes. One sickle cell chromosome makes people resistant to malaria. Unfortunately when people have two sickle cell chromosomes they can get sickle cell anemia. That makes it difficult for their blood to carry oxygen and under certain conditions makes their blood clump. The disease can be deadly. Drugs can help. It probably makes that person resistant to malaria. The sickle cell trait evolved in various places around the world where malaria is common such as Africa and Greece.
If sickle-cell anemia is so destructive why hasn't the sickle-cell allele been eliminated from the population?
It is important to note that sickle-cell anemia comes in two forms. The homozygous sickle-cell anemia and the heterozygous sickle-cell trait. The difference between the two is that sickle-cell anemia has a high rate death rate at a young age (20~), and the sickle-cell trait is nearly asymptomatic.In regions such as North America, sickle-cell anemia would be selected against and would eventually leave the gene pool. The sickle-cell trait on the other hand, has little effect on the fitness of the organism, and as such will remain in the gene pool.In malaria endemic regions such as sub-Sahara Africa, sickle-cell anemia provides very high levels of immunity to malaria and the sickle-cell trait provides a slightly lesser level of immunity. Both forms of sickle-cell will increase the organisms fitness and as such, it will remain in the gene pool. Further on, the sickle-cell trait has greater fitness than sickle-cell anemia, hence, the sickle-cell trait will be selected as the fittest allele.If s is the sickle-cell allele and S is a normal allele;The relative fitness in malaria endemic regions;Ss > ss > SSSickle-cell trait > Sickle-cell anemia > NormalThe relative fitness in non-malaria endemic regions;SS > Ss > ssNormal > Sickle-cell trait > Sickle-cell anemia
