The Study of Genetic Adaptation to Malaria in Nepal-In Comparison with Cultural Adaptation

该项目的主要目的是阐明遗传性红细胞疾病，如α-地中海贫血与尼泊尔低地地区儿童感染疟疾之间的关系。到目前为止，我们证实，在相关地区，携带α^+-地中海贫血基因的受试者的疟疾患病率显著低于未携带该基因的受试者。然而，即使在没有疟疾基因的儿童中，10岁以下儿童的疟疾患病率也普遍较低。为了收集样本，我们与卡夫雷-帕兰乔克区马哈德夫森村发展委员会Shree Dedee Thumka初中的老师密切合作，进行了四次实地研究。在我们的实地调研期间，尼泊尔的武装政治团体毛派一直很活跃，我们不得不推迟了原定于2003年9月进行的第一次调研的日程。然而，自从DECE…的研究以来，我们没有遇到任何问题2003年更多，2005年9月更多。每一次，我们都从大约200名儿童身上采集样本。我们不仅在分析包括α^+地中海贫血基因在内的红细胞疾病，而且还在分析疟疾感染的样本。各民族α^+-地中海贫血的患病率与成人相似。即使在后季风季节，疟疾感染率也很低，此时寄生虫的传播很活跃。现在，我们正在准备检测儿童中的疟疾抗体，以检查他们最近的感染情况。我们发表了一篇关于同一地区丝虫病流行情况的论文(Watanabe等人。2003年)，我们还在2000-2002年的研究基础上，编写了关于人们对疟疾的态度与遗传性红细胞疾病患病率之间的相关性的论文。关于疟疾感染与α^+-地中海贫血发生率之间的差异的论文正在编写中。此外，我们还发表了一篇关于糖尿病的论文，将1990年在同一地区获得的数据与尼泊尔研究人员最近报告的数据进行了比较。较少

The main purpose of this project is to elucidate the relation between the hereditary RBC disorders such as α-thalassemia and malaria infection among children in a lowland area of Nepal. Up to the present research, we confirmed that the prevalence of malaria is significantly low among the subjects who have α^+-thalassemia genes than those who have not them in the area concerned. However, the prevalence of malaria among the children younger than ten years old was generally low even among those who have not this kind of gene.In order to collect the samples, we carried out field research four times in close cooperation with the teachers of the Shree Dedee Thumka Lower Scondary School in Mahadevsthan Village Development Committee, Kavre-Palanchok District. During our field research, the Maoist, the armed political group in Nepal, has been active, and we had to postpone the schedule of the first research to be conducted in September 2003. However, we had no trouble since the research in Dece … More mber 2003 up to that in September 2005. Every time, we collected samples from approximately 200 children.We are analyzing the samples not only for the detection of RBC disorders including α^+-thalassemia genes, but also for that of malaria infection. The prevalence of α^+-thalassemia by ethnic groups is similar to that of adults. The rate of malaria infection was low even in the post-monsoon season, when the transmission of the parasites wass active. Now we are preparing the detection IgG and IgM antibodies to malaria among children in order to examine their infection in the recent past.We published a paper concerning the prevalence of filariasis in the same area (Watanabe et al. 2003) We also prepared the paper on the correlation between the peoples' attitudes about malaria and the prevalence of hereditary RBC disorders on the basis of the research from 2000 to 2002. The paper on the difference of malaria infection in relation to the frequency of α^+-thalassemia is under preparation. In addition we published a paper concerning diabetes comparing the data obtained in 1990 in the same area with those reported recently by Nepalese researchers. Less