Question

People with at least one copy of the HLA-B53 gene are better able to beat back malarial infections before the infection progresses. If this is a coevolutionary arms race between Plasmodium and humans, what would the next step in this race be?

Answer 1

Answer:

The plasmodium develop a mutation making them more infectious

Explanation:

An evolutionary arms race is the process where two competing genes are co-evolving, developing adaptations against each other. In this case, the plasmodium might spontaneously develop a mutation that allows them to counteract the protective effects of the HLA-B53 gene. This could be enhanced virulence or enhanced ability to avoid detection by the immune system.