Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

A large case-control study of malaria in West African children shows that a human leucocyte class I antigen (HLA-Bw53) and an HLA class II haplotype (DRB1*1302-DQB1*0501), common in West Africans but rare in other racial groups, are independently associated with protection from severe malaria. In this population they account for as great a reduction in disease incidence as the sickle-cell haemoglobin variant. These data support the hypothesis that the extraordinary polymorphism of major histocompatibility complex genes has evolved primarily through natural selection by infectious pathogens.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/352595a0

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nature

Publication Date

15/08/1991

Volume

352

Pages

595 - 600

Keywords

Animals, Biological Evolution, Case-Control Studies, Child, Gambia, Gene Frequency, HLA Antigens, Haplotypes, Humans, Major Histocompatibility Complex, Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Polymorphism, Genetic