A report on Malaria, Sickle cell disease and Red blood cell

Malaria parasite connecting to a red blood cell

Figure (A) shows normal red blood cells flowing freely through a blood vessel. The inset shows a cross-section of a normal red blood cell with normal haemoglobin. Figure (B) shows abnormal, sickled red blood cells sticking at the branching point in a blood vessel. The inset image shows a cross-section of a sickle cell with long polymerized sickle haemoglobin (HbS) strands stretching and distorting the cell shape to look like a crescent moon.

Scanning electron micrograph of human red blood cells (ca. 6–8 μm in diameter)

There is an immense size variation in vertebrate red blood cells, as well as a correlation between cell and nucleus size. Mammalian red blood cells, which do not contain nuclei, are considerably smaller than those of most other vertebrates.

The life cycle of malaria parasites. Sporozoites are introduced by a mosquito bite. They migrate to the liver, where they multiply into thousands of merozoites. The merozoites infect red blood cells and replicate, infecting more and more red blood cells. Some parasites form gametocytes, which are taken up by a mosquito, continuing the life cycle.

Sickle cells in human blood - both normal red blood cells and sickle-shaped cells are present.

Micrograph of a placenta from a stillbirth due to maternal malaria. H&E stain. Red blood cells are anuclear; blue/black staining in bright red structures (red blood cells) indicate foreign nuclei from the parasites.

Normal blood cells next to a sickle blood cell, coloured scanning electron microscope image

Electron micrograph of a Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cell (center), illustrating adhesion protein "knobs"

Sickle cell disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.

Scanning electron micrograph of blood cells. From left to right: human red blood cell, thrombocyte (platelet), leukocyte.

The blood film is the gold standard for malaria diagnosis.

Distribution of the sickle cell trait, shown in pink and purple

Two drops of blood are shown with a bright red oxygenated drop on the left and a deoxygenated drop on the right.

Ring-forms and gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum in human blood

Historical distribution of malaria (no longer endemic in Europe), shown in green

Animation of a typical human red blood cell cycle in the circulatory system. This animation occurs at a faster rate (~20 seconds of the average 60-second cycle) and shows the red blood cell deforming as it enters capillaries, as well as the bars changing color as the cell alternates in states of oxygenation along the circulatory system.

An Anopheles stephensi mosquito shortly after obtaining blood from a human (the droplet of blood is expelled as a surplus). This mosquito is a vector of malaria, and mosquito control is an effective way of reducing its incidence.

The most common red blood cell membrane lipids, schematically disposed as they are distributed on the bilayer. Relative abundances are not at scale.

Man spraying kerosene oil in standing water, Panama Canal Zone, 1912

Base-pair substitution that causes sickle cell anemia

Red blood cell membrane proteins separated by SDS-PAGE and silverstained

Walls where indoor residual spraying of DDT has been applied. The mosquitoes remain on the wall until they fall down dead on the floor.

HBB gene (responsible for sickle cell anaemia) is located on the short (p) arm of chromosome 11 at position 15.5.

Scanning electron micrograph showing a mixture of red blood cells, some with round normal morphology, some with mild sickling showing elongation and bending

Affected by Sickle-cell disease, red blood cells alter shape and threaten to damage internal organs.

An advertisement for quinine as a malaria treatment from 1927.

Possible advantage of being heterozygous for sickle cell anemia disease (A) vs. normal blood cell response (B) when infected with malaria

Effect of osmotic pressure on blood cells

Deaths due to malaria per million persons in 2012

Percentage of newborns screened for sickle cell disease within Metropolitan France from 2006 to 2018

Micrographs of the effects of osmotic pressure

Past and current malaria prevalence in 2009

Percentage of newborns screened regionally and overall for sickle cell disease in Metropolitan France in 2018

Variations of red blood cell shape, overall termed poikilocytosis.

Ancient malaria oocysts preserved in Dominican amber

British doctor Ronald Ross received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for his work on malaria.

Chinese medical researcher Tu Youyou received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2015 for her work on the antimalarial drug artemisinin.

Artemisia annua, source of the antimalarial drug artemisinin

U.S. Marines with malaria in a field hospital on Guadalcanal, October 1942

Members of the Malaria Commission of the League of Nations collecting larvae on the Danube delta, 1929

1962 Pakistani postage stamp promoting malaria eradication program

Disability-adjusted life year for malaria per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004
no data
<10
0–100
100–500
500–1000
1000–1500
1500–2000
2000–2500
2500–2750
2750–3000
3000–3250
3250–3500
≥3500

It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells.

- Sickle cell disease

In 1954, the protective effect against malaria of sickle cell trait was described.

- Sickle cell disease

In the blood, the merozoites rapidly invade individual red blood cells, replicating over 24–72 hours to form 16–32 new merozoites.

- Malaria

Lipid rafts that have been implicated in cell signaling events in nonerythroid cells have been shown in erythroid cells to mediate β2-adregenic receptor signaling and increase cAMP levels, and thus regulating entry of malarial parasites into normal red cells.

- Red blood cell

Normally, red blood cells have a very flexible, biconcave shape that allows them to move through narrow capillaries; however, when the modified haemoglobin S molecules are exposed to low amounts of oxygen, or crowd together due to dehydration, they can stick together forming strands that cause the cell to distort into a curved sickle shape.

- Malaria

Eryptosis is increased in a wide variety of diseases including sepsis, haemolytic uremic syndrome, malaria, sickle cell anemia, beta-thalassemia, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, phosphate depletion, iron deficiency and Wilson's disease.

- Red blood cell

5 related topics with Alpha

Anemia

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The hand of a person with severe anemia (on the left, with ring) compared to one without (on the right)

Figure shows normal red blood cells flowing freely in a blood vessel. The inset image shows a cross-section of a normal red blood cell with normal hemoglobin.

Peripheral blood smear microscopy of a patient with iron-deficiency anemia

A Giemsa-stained blood film from a person with iron-deficiency anemia. This person also had hemoglobin Kenya.

Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin.

Causes of increased breakdown include genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia, infections such as malaria, and certain autoimmune diseases.

Thalassemia

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Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders characterized by decreased hemoglobin production.

Left: Hand of a person with severe anemia. Right: Hand of a person without anemia.

Thalassemia has an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance.

Often there is mild to severe anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin).

Those who have minor degrees of thalassemia, similar to those with sickle-cell trait, have some protection against malaria, explaining why they are more common in regions of the world where malaria exists.

Blood smear

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Thin layer of blood smeared on a glass microscope slide and then stained in such a way as to allow the various blood cells to be examined microscopically.

Variations of red blood cell shape on blood film, overall termed poikilocytosis

Blood smears showing various developmental stages of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, stained with Wright stain and Giemsa stain

Blood smears are examined in the investigation of hematological (blood) disorders and are routinely employed to look for blood parasites, such as those of malaria and filariasis.

These stains allow for the detection of white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet abnormalities.

Disorders such as iron deficiency anemia, sickle cell anemia, megaloblastic anemia and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia result in characteristic abnormalities on the blood film.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

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Most common enzyme deficiency worldwide, is an inborn error of metabolism that predisposes to red blood cell breakdown.

Most people who develop symptoms are male, due to the X-linked pattern of inheritance, but female carriers can be affected due to unfavorable lyonization or skewed X-inactivation, where random inactivation of an X-chromosome in certain cells creates a population of G6PD-deficient red blood cells coexisting with unaffected red blood cells.

A side effect of this disease is that it confers protection against malaria, in particular the form of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly form of malaria.

A similar relationship exists between malaria and sickle-cell disease.

Spleen

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Organ found in all vertebrates.

A 3D medical animation still of spleen structure & exact location

Micrograph of splenic tissue showing the red pulp (red), white pulp (blue) and a thickened inflamed capusule (mostly pink – top of image). H&E stain.

The spleen contains two different tissues, white pulp (A) and red pulp (B). The white pulp functions in producing and growing immune and blood cells. The red pulp functions in filtering blood of antigens, microorganisms, and defective or worn-out red blood cells.

Thalassemia enlarged spleen taken after splenectomy

Laparoscopic view of a horse's spleen (the purple and grey mottled organ)

Spleen seen on abdominal ultrasonography

Maximum length of spleen on abdominal ultrasonography

Back of lumbar region, showing surface markings for kidneys, ureters, and spleen

Side of thorax, showing surface markings for bones, lungs (purple), pleura (blue), and spleen (green)

Transverse section of the spleen, showing the trabecular tissue and the splenic vein and its tributaries

The spleen plays very important roles in regard to red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the immune system.

It may be caused by sickle cell anemia, sarcoidosis, malaria, bacterial endocarditis, leukemia, polycythemia vera, pernicious anemia, Gaucher's disease, leishmaniasis, Hodgkin's disease, Banti's disease, hereditary spherocytosis, cysts, glandular fever (mononucleosis or 'Mono' caused by the Epstein–Barr virus, infection from cytomegalovirus), and tumours.