Human Health and Diseases Question 27
27. Which one of the following conditions though harmful in itself, is also a potential saviour from a mosquito borne infectious disease ?
(a) Leukemia
(b) Thalassemia
(c) Sickle cell anaemia
(d) Pernicious anaemia
Show Answer
Answer : c
Hints & Solutions
(c) A sickle cell anaemia affected person is more resistant to mosquito born infectious disease because the sickle - cell shaped RBCs are hostile to the protozoa Plasmodium. Sickle cell anemia is a blood disease in which the red blood cells possess an abnormal crescent or sickle shape, when observed under microscope. It is an inherited disorder and is attributed to a single base substitution in the DNA sequence of the gene encoding the beta chain of haemoglobin. The sickle cell trait protects against malaria. In the sickled RBC, malaria parasites cannot survive, thus giving advantage to the anaemic patients.
