Genetic association between hla-g 14bp polymorphism and malaria disease severity and Anaemia among iron and non-iron fortified Ghanaian Children

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.