August 45, 1975

Dr. Howard Goodman

Director

Special Programme for Research and
Training in Tropical Diseases

World Health Organization

1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland

Dear Howard,

I took some of the WHO technical reports on malaria with me on
vacation and I noticed what may be no more than a curious coincidence
about the negative correlation of worm infection and malaria which is
documented in the attached notes.

Do you know if anyone has looked more specifically at what is involved
here?

I realize that the low prevalence of Plasmodium vivax in West Africa
might be related to a blood factor polymorphism. I do not know what the last
word is on the specific factors that would diatinguish that population from
the East African.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

JL/rr
Enclosures