Abstract:
Malaria cases were reported in 241,000,000 people worldwide in 2020, with
96% occurring in Africa. Out of this number, 80% of the total deaths were
children. Due to host and plasmodium interactions, clinical features might
vary greatly. HLA-G is important for the outcome of plasmodium infection
because it may induce a tolerogenic environment that allows parasites to evade
an anti-malarial response. One of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies is
anaemia. According to certain research's findings, having anaemia caused by a
lack of iron may be protective against contracting malaria, whereas having
availability of iron can increase the risk of malaria-related illness and death.
This is a cross sectional study and archival samples from a study done by
Zlotkin et al, 2013 in the Tain and Wenchi Municipalities in the Bono region
were used. Children between 6 and 36 months who can tolerate semi-solid
foods and living in Tain and Wenchi were involved in the study while children
who tested positive for malaria but have started antimalaria treatment or have
other known medical conditions were excluded. A total of 432 samples were
used and categorized into negative control, uncomplicated and complicated
malaria. Genomic DNA was amplified with PCR, and 14bp+/- alleles counted.
Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium,
chi-square test, univariate, and multivariate regression models were used to
analyse data acquired. The study revealed that the presence of HLA-G 14bp+/-
and 14bp-/- variants were associated with malaria disease severity among the
iron fortified children but not in the non-iron supplemented children. Also,
HLA-G 14bp+/- was associated with the development of anaemia among iron
supplemented children.
