Blood group O gives protection against malaria because it resists a glue-like protein involved in the disease, Swedish researchers have reported.
The study at the Karolinska Institutet pin-pointed the RIFIN protein, secreted by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite that causes malaria.
The researchers found it can bond only weakly to type O blood.
In contrast it binds strongly to type A blood, potentially causing blockage of blood flow and serious illness or death.
They reported their findings in Nature Medicine today.
Researcher Professor Mats Wahlgren said: “Our study ties together previous findings. We can explain the mechanism behind the protection that blood group O provides against severe malaria, which can, in turn, explain why the blood type is so common in the areas where malaria is common.
"In Nigeria, for instance, more than half of the population belongs to blood group O, which protects against malaria.”
RIFINs are Adhesins Implicated in Severe Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Nature Medicine 9 March 2015; doi: 10.1038/nm.3812
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