Disabling gene leads to better chance of malaria survival

Scientists have discovered that disabling a molecule found in a particular type of white blood cell gives mice a far higher survival rate from malaria.

The research, undertaken by a team from the University of Utah, revealed that one quarter of mice where the alpha-D gene was knocked-out survived a severe form of malaria, whereas all the animals where the gene was left died from the disease.

At the same time, their findings, published in the Journal of Immunology, also indicated that the molecule can also help cause an inflammation that accentuates the effects of malaria.

Doctor Guy A Zimmerman, a co-author of the report, said: "The finding was contrary to what we expected. We thought knocking out alpha D would make the mice more susceptible to death."

The report's authors believe that their findings could help to reduce the number of global deaths from malaria.

They claim that, if their findings could be replicated in humans and prevent 25 per cent of fatalities caused by the disease, 500,000 lives would be saved annually.

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