Preferred Label : Malaria, susceptibility to;
Type : Phenotype, molecular basis known;
Included titles and symbols : Malaria, resistance to; Malaria, severe, susceptibility to; Malaria, severe, resistance to; Malaria, cerebral, susceptibility to; Malaria, cerebral, resistance to;
Description : Malaria, a major cause of child mortality worldwide, is caused by mosquito-borne hematoprotozoan
parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Of the 4 species that infect humans, P. falciparum
causes the most severe forms of malaria and is the major cause of death and disease.
Although less fatal, P. malariae, P. ovale, and, in particular, P. vivax infections
are major causes of morbidity. The parasite cycle involves a first stage in liver
cells and a subsequent stage at erythrocytes, when malaria symptoms occur. A wide
spectrum of phenotypes are observed, from asymptomatic infection to mild disease,
including fever and mild anemia, to severe disease, including cerebral malaria, profound
anemia, and respiratory distress. Genetic factors influence the response to infection,
as well as disease progression and severity. Malaria is the strongest known selective
pressure in the recent history of the human genome, and it is the evolutionary driving
force behind sickle-cell disease (603903), thalassemia (see 141800), glucose-6-phosphatase
deficiency (300908), and other erythrocyte defects that together constitute the most
common mendelian diseases of humans (Kwiatkowski, 2005; Campino et al., 2006).;
Prefixed ID : #611162;
Origin ID : 611162;
UMLS CUI : C1970028;
Genes related to phenotype
- ORDO concept(s)
- Semantic type(s)
