Influence of Carriage of Hemoglobin AS and the Fcγ Receptor IIa–R₁₃₁Allele on Levels of Immunoglobulin G2 Antibodies to<i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>Merozoite Antigens in Gabonese Children

Abstract

The higher rate of invasion of RBCs in the presence of multiple strains may indicate that several invasion pathways are solicited simultaneously, and the longer persistence of ring forms in RBCs from the subjects with hemoglobin AS might reflect a slower multiplication phase, leading to a longer circulation and enhanced phagocytosis of these nonpathogenic parasite forms. This may contribute to the protection against P. falciparum malaria observed in children with hemoglobin AS.