How does sickle cell anemia prevent Malaria?

[js_daquilanea]

its interesting to know that there could be some immunities to malaria...how bout AIDS?someone told me that caucassians are immune to AIDS?is it true?and somehow that person who told me envied them...y?is it rewarding to be immune from AIDS?

[MrMistery]

no, caucasians are not immune to AIDS. nobody has ever been discovered to be immune to AIDS

[canalon]

Yes there are immunity to AIDS. People that do not catch it simply. It seems that a mutaton in a receptor was involved. Found in a relatively low percentage of population, indeed of caucasian descent If I am not wrong. But certainly not in all caucasians. And I wouldn't want to take any chance to test if I have this mutation...

[MrMistery]

a yes now that i think a little I do understand. People that lack the CD4 receptor or the particular chemokine receptor necessary for HIV to attach to WBC. Sorry for my stupidity...

[js_daquilanea]

ok..thanks!i did some research too and found out that same thing.at least with your replies i was able to confirm it.but this one leads to another...would it be possible in the near future that AIDS or malaria would become as mild as influenza?with the fast pace development in medicine specially the success of the human genome project,can we really eradicate dangerous pandemic diseases?

[KnowItAll]

Because the malaria virus feeds on the red blood cells, Sickle cells are mutated blood cells that can not produce enough oxygen and other things that the malaria cell needs. There for the malaria cells die but unfortunalty sickle cell is also a life threatening disease which can also kill you

[canalon]

Malaria is not caused by a virus.
Red blood cells (mutated or not) do not produce oxygen.
There is a difference between being heterozygote and being sick.
That said, your explanation almost made sense... Why reviving a 4 year old thread to make a fool of your self?