Mystery of resistance to malaria solved in new study
Friday, November 11, 2011 - 14:31
in Biology & Nature
(Medical Xpress) -- Malaria is a disease caused by parasites passed to humans via the bites of infected mosquitoes. Globally, the disease causes over a million deaths every year, and is especially rife in parts of Africa and Asia. The parasites infect red blood corpuscles (the hemoglobin-containing cells that carry oxygen around the body) and hijack the support structure within the cells. Some people are known to be naturally resistant to the serious effects of malaria, and scientists have wondered for decades exactly how their resistance functions. Now new research gone a long way to solving the mystery.