Individuals with benign neutropenia due to the ACKR1-null allele have been found to have an increased susceptibility to human immunodeficiency virus infection and, on the other hand, a protective effect against malaria.
The ability of the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax to invade erythrocytes is dependent on the expression of the Duffy blood group antigen on erythrocytes.
This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of Plasmodium vivax and polymorphisms in the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) gene in patients with suspected malaria from eastern (Harar) and southwestern (Jimma) Ethiopia.
The Duffy blood group antigen is the portal of entry of the Plasmodiumvivax malaria parasite into human red blood cells and the receptor for a number of CXC and CC chemokines.
A second early example of inherited innate resistance to malaria was the finding that nonexpression of the Duffy antigen/chemokine receptor (DARC) on erythrocytes confers resistance to P. vivax.