title: The interaction between sickle haemoglobin and the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: The mechanism whereby heterozygous carriers of the sickle cell gene are protected against fatal malarial infections due to Plasmodium falciparum has been examined in a short term in vitro cultivation system. The results have shown that both parasite invasion of red cells and parasite growth within red cells containing sickle haemoglobin (Hb-S) is restricted, but only under conditions of low (5%) oxygen tensions. To bring this about, the cells containing Hb-S need not sickle. Furthermore the growth retardation observed in the presence of Hb-S was also found to apply to the mature forms of the parasite. These findings offer a plausible mechanism for the protection of sickle heterozygotes against falciparum malaria.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology*; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D010100:Oxygen; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000254:growth & development*; D012805:Sickle Cell Trait / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen