No abstract

The high frequency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency gene in malaria endemic regions is believed to be due to the enzyme deficiency advantage against fatal malaria. However, the mechanism of this protection is not well understood and therefore was investigated by comparing differences in plasmodial parasitaemia, full blood count profile and the severity of clinical malarial symptoms of G6PD deficient and G6PD non-deficient cohort groups in the population. Our results showed that 10.4% (63/606) of those tested carried the G6PD deficiency gene. G6PD deficient heterozygous females and hemizygous males manifested significantly reduced (P<0.05) parasitaemia, less severe malarial anaemia, less severe clinical malarial symptoms and elevated haematological profile during the progress of malaria when compared with G6PD non-deficient subjects. The results seem to suggest that G6PD deficiency gene could be among the factors that confer malaria protection in the hosts through reduction of severe malarial anaemia, density parasitaemia and clinical malarial symptoms while having less effect on frequency of infection perse.