Yes, Albert is right about African malaria to sickle cell disease. however, thalassemia or beta thalassemia is the Middle Eastern version of sickle cell. One sees it in the US when two middle eastern people with the gene protecting them from malaria marry; their child/ren may get the thalassemia disease and all the problems connected to sickle cell disease.
LynnD Not enough middle eastern blood to have gotten it On 1/14/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > A friend who does research on malaria once told me it originated in > A friend who does research on malaria once told me it originated in > Europe, which was a surprise because I'd always thought it was > tropical. Apparently it was unknown in tropical areas until European > settlers reached there. > *************************** > Hold the phone! > Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease found only in Africans and their > descendants, I believe, that one gets if one inherits 2 genes that cause > the > shape of their red corpusles to become sickle-like. A single copy of the > gene > makes one very resistant to Malaria...changing the shape of the cell just > enough so the Malaria parasite cannot recognize them and attack. So it is > a > genetic trait that has evolved to help those exposed to the disease for > centuries....malenia...to survive. The deaths from the unfortunate > inheritance of 2 > genes from the parents apparently, in genetic terms, are acceptable > losses. > I don't think this kind of thing, this genetic reaction to Malaria, could > evolve in the, relatively speaking, short time Europeans have been in > Africa. > It definitely implies Africans have been dealing with it for a much > longer > time. > >From Wikipedia: > Malaria has infected humans for over 50,000 years, and may have been a > human > _pathogen_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathogen) for the entire > history > of our species._[2]_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria#_note-1 > ) Indeed, > close relatives of the human malaria parasites remain common in > chimpanzees, > our closest relatives._[3]_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria#_note-2 > ) > References to the unique periodic fevers of malaria are found throughout > recorded history, beginning in 2700 BC in China._[4]_ > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria#_note-3) The term malaria > originates from _Medieval_ > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages) _Italian_ > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language) : mala aria — "_bad air_ > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miasma_theory_of_disease) "; and the > disease was formerly called _ague_ > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ague) or marsh fever due to its > association with swamps. > > > > **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. > http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
