ABO and malaria: A notable exception to this general correspondence was SNP rs8176746 in the ABO gene which codes for the B blood group allele which by ECA is predicted to be protective against malaria but in the case-control study analyzed here, and in other case-control studies, when in combination with the A allele in AB heterozygotes, appears to confer susceptibility (supplementary table S2, Supplementary Material online).