2006-08-11 07:16:49 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
Hello,
No, They have the trait but not the disease, but can pass unto the disease to their children, if their patner have the trait as well.
They live normal lives, and do not have a weak immune system, except they have the actual full disease.
Take care
2006-08-11 07:48:23 · answer #1 · answered by kida_w 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Actually, the sickle cell gene corrupts the proteins that are used to produce red blood cells. I think it's a valine substitution in there, but I don't feel like looking it up right now.
anyway, so the proteins that make RBCs are different from the ones in white cells -- the ones that make up your immune system. So you can have a perfectly functioning immune system even if you are sick with sickle cell.
As for whether you can carry the trait, if you have one copy of the gene, that can actually be advantageous in some parts of the world. With one copy, you may have some minor irregularities in your red blood cells, but not enough that you would notice. However, these irregularities are protective against malaria! The malaria trypanosome parasite (Plasmodia sp.) need healthy red blood cells to infect, and they can't latch onto sickle cells. This comes in handy if you are from Africa and malaria is a major killer.
2006-08-11 15:20:04 · answer #2 · answered by Gumdrop Girl 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They do present the actual trait but not the disease, his or her descendents may.
2006-08-11 14:23:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, they have the trait not the actual cell.
2006-08-11 14:19:16 · answer #4 · answered by Help me 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no it mean they have the trait
2006-08-11 14:25:40 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
2006-08-11 15:47:12 · answer #6 · answered by doctor2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋