Malaria, which is transmitted through mosquito bites, has been shown to shorten telomere length. Provided by wildpixel/Getty Image Bank.
Telomeres, a protein component at the ends of DNA, gradually shorten throughout life. If it shortens below a certain level, cell aging progresses and eventually causes cell death. Research findings reported that malaria causes further shortening of telomere length.
The research team led by Sarah A. Tishkoff, professor of genetics and biology at the University of Pennsylvania, announced on the 2nd in the American Journal of Genetics that it has confirmed that leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is particularly short in areas where malaria is prevalent. Malaria is a disease that occurs when a person is bitten by a mosquito carrying a pathogen called a malaria parasite.
LTL is influenced by genetic factors. People of African descent generally have a longer LTL. The variability of LTL can be explained mainly by genetic factors, but is also influenced by environmental factors.
Through a study targeting populations in sub-Saharan Africa, the research team confirmed the association between malaria infection and LTL and found that malaria infection is one of the environmental factors influencing LTL.
The research team measured LTL in 1,818 adults living in Tanzania, Botswana, Ethiopia and Cameroon through DNA extraction of blood cells. We also investigated the relationship between malaria endemicity and LTL.
As a result, it was confirmed that there were significant differences in LTL in each region. Hunter-gatherers in Botswana had the longest white blood cell telomeres, while pastoralists in Cameroon had the shortest. This is evidence that genetic factors cause LTL differences.
Whether malaria was endemic or not was also correlated with LTL. Indigenous populations living in areas where malaria is prevalent had shorter LTL. The research team said: “Malaria is a potential factor that may shorten LTL” and added: “LTL appears to be shortened due to the massive destruction of blood cells caused by malaria and the process of creating cells to repair damaged blood cells.”
The research team believes that stronger evidence that malaria affects LTL could be obtained by conducting a further longitudinal study to confirm the association with LTL among people living in areas where malaria is endemic and in areas where it is not. And. “The next step in our research is to characterize LTL in children born and raised in malaria-endemic and non-endemic areas,” the research team said.
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