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The high frequencies of both alpha+ thalassemia and the sickle cell trait (hemoglobin AS [HbAS]) found in many tropical populations are thought to reflect selection pressure from Plasmodium falciparum malaria. For HbAS, but not for alpha+ thalassemia, protection appears to be mediated by the enhanced phagocytic clearance of ring-infected erythrocytes. We have investigated the genotype-specific distributions of peripheral blood leukocyte populations in two groups of children living on the coast of Kenya: a group of healthy P. falciparum parasite-negative children sampled at cross-sectional survey during a period of low malaria transmission, and a group of children attending the hospital with acute malaria. We report distinctive distributions of peripheral blood myeloid dendritic cells and monocytes in children with alpha+ thalassemia and HbAS during healthy periods and disease, and suggest ways in which these might relate to the mechanisms of protection afforded by these conditions.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Am J Trop Med Hyg

Publication Date

04/2006

Volume

74

Pages

578 - 584

Keywords

Child, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Flow Cytometry, Genotype, Hemoglobin, Sickle, Humans, Infant, Kenya, Malaria, Falciparum, Male, Myeloid Cells, Sickle Cell Trait, alpha-Thalassemia