April 30, 2019
Researchers Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work have shown that those with O-type blood are less susceptible to severe malaria due to the lack of antigens on the surface of their red blood cells. When a person is infected with malaria their red blood cells cluster together forming ‘rosettes’ that have the potential to block blood vessels. In people with O-type blood these rosettes tend to be smaller, as well as weaker and more unstable. This means that the infection is less likely to progress to a severe infection in O-type blood. In the future it may be possible to treat those with malaria by administering O-type blood transfusions in order to stop the progression of the disease.
Source: Science Alert
Read more: http://ow.ly/5Opy30oyoWn
