Malaria burden in rural communities: investigating the role of blood group in susceptibility and infection severity

Abstract

The Nigerian society has presented a conducive condition for malaria vector to thrive, increasing the chances of infection on the populace. Data on malaria susceptibility in connection to blood group are relatively contradictory. Therefore, this article evaluates the impact of the individual’s blood on malaria susceptibility in a rural community.  Blood was collected between March -June, 2025 using sterile disposable syringe. The collected blood was instantly spread on grease-free slide for thin and thick preparation and the plus sign (+) was used to show positive slides. Participants’ blood groups were typed by agglutination using commercial antisera, direct method. The result indicates that 106 (92.2%) of the 115 participants were positive of malaria and 9 (7.8%) were negative. Among the 106 malaria cases reported in this study, 36 (34.0%) were severe, 48 (45.2%) were moderate and mild cases were 22 (20.8%). Among the 106 infected participants reported positive of malaria infection, 22 (20.8%) participants were of the blood group A, blood group B and O had 10 (9.4%) and 74 (69.8 %) respectively. The result established that the Nigerian society is highly vulnerable to malaria disease and control for the life-threatening parasitic infection remain challenging in the country. However, all blood groups ranging from A, B and O are susceptible to malaria disease. Although, the blood A is prone to severe malaria cases unlike the situation with people with blood B and O.