Protective Mechanisms against Malaria Associated with Glucose 6-PhosphateDehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency: Final Scientific Report

摘要

The control of malaria has been increasingly hampered by the emergence ofplasmodium parasites resistant to standard antimalarials, making development of new drugs and a vaccine a research priority. One approach is to follow natural defense mechanisms, which appear to exploit the parasite's susceptibility to oxidant stress by favoring the buildup of reactive oxygen species (i.e., compounds) in the blood. In areas where malaria is endemic, such as certain parts of Africa, populations show a relatively high frequency of genetic variations which may, by allowing for greater buildup of these compounds in the blood,