Question

Which one of the following conditions though harmful in itself, is also a potential savior from a mosquito-borne infectious disease?
A. Thalassemia
B. Sickle cell anemia
C. Pernicious anemia
D. Leukemia

Answer 1

Hint:Mosquito borne infectious diseases are the disease which is transmitted or spread by the mosquito. The mosquito acts as a vector for transmission of disease from an infected person to the normal person. Malaria is an example of a mosquito-borne infectious disease.

Complete answer:
Thalassemia is also a type of blood disorder in which the infected patients have less hemoglobin than normal people. Therefore, option A is wrong. Pernicious anemia is caused due to the anemia of Vitamin B12. Hence, option C is also incorrect. Leukemia is also called blood cancer in which abnormal growth of WBC’s takes place. Therefore, option D is wrong.
Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is the most common type of sickle cell disease (SCD). Sickle cell disease is typically inherited from a person’s parent and is a group of blood disorders. The person with sickle cell disease has a sickle-like shape of the cell and hence named sickle cell disease. When two abnormal copies of beta-globin genes are inherited by a person one from each parent leads to the cause of sickle cell anemia. Due to the inheritance of abnormal copies of beta-globin genes the shape of red blood cells is sickle or crescent-shaped. Thus, it results in an abnormality in the hemoglobin which is the oxygen carrier protein present in the red blood cells. People with sickle cell anemia are at less risk of getting infected by mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria. The infected RBCs have less oxygen content and are sickled due to which the parasite within the RBC phagocyte along with the cell. Therefore, option B is the correct answer.

So, option B is the correct option.

Note: Sickle cell anemia is inherited from the parents and is present from birth. The altered or mutated genes from the mother, father, or from both the parents are responsible for the occurrence of disease in an offspring. Beta- globin gene occurs in the chromosome and is responsible for the formation of hemoglobin.