Scientists have therefore been keen to learn more about how this species of parasite makes the infected red blood cells so sticky. It has long been known that people with blood type O are protected against severe malaria, while those with other types, such as A, often fall into a coma and die. The Chinese study has not yet been peer-reviewed. Findings regarding malaria and blood type O have been confirmed again and again: Group O was associated with a 66% reduction in the odds of developing severe malaria compared with the non-O blood groups https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077280/ Studies of the interaction between Plasmodium vivax and the Duffy antigen provide the clearest example of the potential for basic research on blood groups and malaria to be translated into a vaccine … Continue reading Blood types and Malaria