It has been suspected that G6PD deficiency is widespread among humans because it confers a selective advantage. In a Perspective, Luzzatto and Notaro discuss findings from a molecular analysis of G6PD gene variants ( Tishkoff et al.), which support the notion that G6PD deficiency has been selected for because it protects against infection with Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes a fatal form of malaria.
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Luzzatto et al. (2001) studied this question.
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