Sickle Cell Anemia and Malaria Correlation

The case of sickle cell anemia and malaria are an example of correlation without causation. There is a similar relationship among them, however one of them doesn't specifically cause the other one. The sickle cell mutation is the error in the DNA code of the gene that tells the body how to form hemoglobin (hb), which is a molecule functions for carrying oxygen in our blood. The sickle cell genes (mutated genes) are in the sickle form and cannot carry as much as oxygen as a normal hemoglobin gene, thus leads to sickle cell anemia.

 A person can either get both copies of the sickle cell genes or none of the sickle genes from parents. Getting two copies of the sickle cell gene causes the sickle cell anemia in that person, however if a person inherits only one copy of the sickle gene he/she is actually in an advantageous stage since sickle genes are resistant to malaria. The natural selection occurs when humans are getting none, one or two copies of the mutated genes. Humans who only got one copy of the mutated gene are called carriers, and they do not suffer from anemia plus they're immune to the malaria disease.  The parasitic mosquito which causes malaria cannot function its life cycles and cause the malaria, in a human body who has sickle genes, because the mutated gene they contain (HbS) doesn't allow the malaria parasite to ingest hemoglobin. It  can also be said that the malaria parasite fails to grow in an abnormal hemoglobin due to the lack of potassium. 

Anopheles which cause malaria   

On the left: normal red blood cell (HBB),

On the right: sickled red blood cell (HbS)

Bibliography:
"Evolution: Library: A Mutation Story." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/01/2/l_012_02.html>.


Bose, Debopriya. "Sickle Cell and Malaria." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/sickle-cell-and-malaria.html>.