The harmful allele of sickle cell anemia has not been eliminated from the human population. Such afflicted people derive some other benefit. Discuss.

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(B) The harmful alleles are typically eliminated from a population over time,yet sickle cell anemia persists in the human population. This is because while the homozygous condition $(Hb^S Hb^S)$ is harmful,the heterozygous condition $(Hb^A Hb^S)$ provides a survival advantage against malaria.
The malaria-causing parasite,$Plasmodium$,spends part of its life cycle in red blood cells and triggers an abnormal drop in oxygen levels within the cell.
In carriers $(Hb^A Hb^S)$,this drop in oxygen is sufficient to trigger the sickling of red blood cells. These sickled cells are then rapidly removed from circulation by the spleen,which significantly limits the progression of the malarial infection.
These individuals possess a high resistance to malaria and have a greater chance of surviving outbreaks.
This resistance to infection is the primary reason the $Hb^S$ allele persists in the population. It is found at the highest frequency in regions where malaria is or was a serious health problem.
In contrast,normal individuals $(Hb^A Hb^A)$ are fully susceptible to $Plasmodium$ infection.

Explore More

Similar Questions

$A$ normal woman, whose father was an albino, marries an albino man. What is the expected proportion of normal and albino children in their offspring?

Hemophilia is more common in human males than in females because it is a:

In the following symbols used in human pedigree analysis,identify the symbol that denotes consanguineous mating.

Albinism is a:

Which disorder is caused when the synthesis of the $\beta$-globin chain of hemoglobin is affected due to a single gene $HBB$,leading to a quantitative change in the hemoglobin structure?

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo