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October 7, 2008 6:14:39 AM CDT

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Gene Raises AIDS Risk in Africa

Posted Jul 16, 08 10:14 PM CDT in World,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – A gene extremely common among Africans but almost unknown other ethnic groups may be rendering people of sub-Saharan Africa more susceptible to HIV and AIDS, the Times of London reports. The gene variant—common because it provides malaria protection—makes carriers 40% more likely to contract HIV and could be responsible for 11%, or 2.5 million, of the AIDS cases in Africa, the continent hardest hit by the disease.

“After thousands of years of adaptation, this variant rose to high frequency because it helped protect against malaria," said an expert at the San Antonio Military Medical Center. "Now, with another global pandemic on the scene, this same variant renders people more susceptible to HIV. It shows the complex interplay between historically important diseases and susceptibility."

Source Times (UK)

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A mother with her son, infected with HIV/AIDS. A new study says Africans are more likely to contract HIV because they carry a genetic variant.   (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Pascazia Mukamana, holds her 3-year-old sister Solange who displays symptoms of HIV infections at their home in Rwanda. A new study says Africans may be genetically more susceptible to HIV.   (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo, File)
A sick child at a Hospital in the city of Dakar, Senegal. New research says many Africans carry a genetic trait which renders them 40% more susceptible to HIV and AIDS.   (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
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United Nations  • Africa  • AIDS  • HIV  • malaria  • University College London  • AIDS epidemic


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