Suppression of malaria infection by oxidant-sensitive host erythrocytes

DEFICIENCY of the red cell enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), predisposes erythrocytes to oxidant-induced haemolysis and is thought to protect humans against severe malaria infection. We have already shown that the malaria parasite exerts an oxidant stress on infected red cells and suggested that premature lysis of malaria infected erythrocytes might occur in G-6-PD deficient humans¹, thus limiting the severity of infection by enforcing the release of immature parasites incapable of propagating the infection².