Question

G6PD deficiency is an inherited condition in which the body doesn't have enough of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, or G6PD, which helps red blood cells (RBCs) function normally. G6PD deficiency is most common in African-American males. Many females are carriers. It is known that Africa and the Mediterranean basin are high-risk areas for the infectious disease malaria. Researchers have found evidence that the parasite that causes malaria does not survive well in G6PD-deficient cells.How can you explain this? Natural selection favors G6PD deficiency as compared to malaria. Genetic drift is responsible for greater occurrence of G6PD deficiency in these regions. Somatic mutations lead to G6PD deficiency in malaria-inflicted regions.

Answer 1

The correct option is this: NATURAL SELECTION FAVOR G6PD DEFICIENCY AS COMPARED TO MALARIA.
As we are told in the passage given above, G6DP enzyme helps the red blood cells to function very well. So those people who lack this enzyme have red blood cells that are not functioning very well and this usually result in heamolytic aneaemia. Remember that the parasite that cause malaria normally need red blood cells to survive, thus, for people who lack G6DP malaria can not survive in their blood. Since lack of G6DP enzyme mostly occur in people of African origin where mosquitoes abound, researchers believe that the lack of G6DP enzyme in these people red blood cells is a natural selection method by which the body is preventing itself from been attacked by mosquitoes.