Blood groups and H-Lea salivary secretion of Brazilian Cayapo Indians

Five hundred and twenty-six individuals from four populations were studied in relation to the ABO, MNSs, P, Rh, Lutheran, Kell, Lewis, Duffy, Kidd, Diego and I systems, as well as for the Wright antigen of blood groups. The H-Le^a salivary secretion of 406 of them was also investigated. Considering the gene markers which show variation in South American Indians, the Cayapo frequencies are in the middle of the distribution range for genes L^Ms, R¹ (CDe), R² (cDE), P¹, Jk^a, Di^a and Se but present high values of Le and Fy^a and low ones of L^MS, L^Ns, R^o (cDe) and/or r (cde), L^NS and R^z (CDE). Unusual findings in relation to previous studies are the high prevalence of Le (a+) persons (which, however, could be expected since the frequency of gene Se is not too high) and the presence of one Lu (a+) and one PP₁ (Tj^a) (?) individuals. Comparison of the pattern of inter-village variation in relation to these polymorphisms with those furnished by historical, demographic and morphological data gives in general reasonable concordance, but some results are difficult to interpret. New approaches and further multidisciplinary studies are needed to obtain a clearer picture of the genetic relationships present among different tribes of South American Indians as well as to understand how polymorphisms are created and maintained in human populations.     

Blood groups of Cakchiquel Indians from Sumpango, Guatemala

ABO, MN, Rh, P, Lutheran, Kell, Duffy and Kidd blood group systems were studied in a sample of 135 Cakchiquel-speaking Indians from Sumpango, Dpto. Sacatepequez, Guatemala. Sumpango represents an almost exclusively endogamous isolate in the western highlands some 42 km outside of Guatemala City. The bloods were collected by families, and tests on them are much more revealing than on unrelated individuals because the genotypes are so often evident, and genes that could not have been otherwise detected are revealed. What is lost in numbers of unrelated people is probably more than compensated for by the precision of gene identification. Some evidence of foreign genes in this Indian sample is afforded by gene B in a mother and three of her children, in a small frequency (0.01) of R^?2,?3 (cde or cDe), and perhaps in gene MU or Mu in a mother and son. Gene frequencies for the Sumpango sample are very similar to those of Matson and Swanson's ('63) Cakchiquel from nearby Chimaltenango and Patzicia. The Sumpango sample shows lower P and Jk^a and higher R^2,?3 (CDe), and of these the low P and high R^2,?3 stand outside of the known Maya range.     

ABO blood groups,leprosy, and serum proteins

Summary In 683 leprosy patients from Chiang Mai, Thailand, the associations between ABO blood groups, type and clinical features of leprosy, and electrophoretically identifiable serumprotein fractions (albumins: ₁-, ₂-, - and -globulins) were examined. Besides, the blood group frequencies in 388 leprosy patients were compared with suitable controls. Blood groups A and AB turned out to be somewhat more frequent in patients than in controls. Combined analysis with 31 series from literature reports gave X=1.0776; ²=1)=12.232. In comparisons within our group of patients which contained almost exclusively lepromatous and dimorphous patients a certain tendency towards more severe involvement of blood group A was observed within the lepromatous group and a higher frequency of eye involvement in group A was (weakly) significant (²=1)=6.188).As to serum proteins ₁- and ₂-globulins were decreased (weakly) significantly in blood group A patients who were at least 40 years old. Furthermore, a number of relationships of serum protein fractions with age, sex, and state of the infection, most of which are known from the literature, could be confirmed.     

Blood groups, phosphoglucomutase, and cerumen types of the Anaham (Chilcotin) Indians

A survey of the blood groups of a Chilcotion band produced unexpected results for the ABO system (0.69 for allele 0, 0.31 for allele A), MNSs system (0.53 for antigen M, 0.47 for antigen N), P (0.36 for P¹). Other loci surveyed were within the range of expectation. The frequency of phosphoglucomutase type PGM was found to be 0.87, and for the dry cerumen allele 0.57. The frequency of the A allele was found to be decreasing among males, and several possibly distinctive characteristics of northern and southern Athapaskans are noted.     

Blood groups, red cell enzymes, and cerumen types of the Ahousat (Nootka) Indians

A survey of the blood groups of a Nootka band produced frequencies characteristic of North American Indians for the ABO system (0.99 for 0, 0.0 for B, and 0.01 for A), Rhesus (0.822 for cDE, 0.011 for cde, 0.023 for cDe), Lutheran (1.00 for Lu(a—)), Duffy (0.505 for Fy(a+)) and Diego (0.039 for Di(a+)). K is not absent though the frequency is not great (0.028). Surprising results were obtained for the MN locus (0.399 for M, 0.601 for N), P (0.209 for P₁), and Lewis (0.568 for Le(a+)). A frequency of phosphoglucomutase type PGM₁¹ of 0.890 was found; all hemoglobins were type AA; no G-6-PD deficiency was found an all were type B positive; the frequency of the dry cerumen allele was found to be 0.323.     

Hemoglobin types of Brazilian Indians

Starch gel and paper electrophoresis determinations were performed in the bloods of 532 Indians and 123 Mestizos. The individuals tested belong to the Aweikoma, Caingang, Guarani, Xavante and Cayapo tribes and live in several places in Southern, Central and Northern Brazil. No abnormal types were observed in the putatively “pure blood” individuals; among the Mestizos only one AS person was found. Data concerning the hemoglobin types of Indians living in eight other South American countries are also reviewed.     

Blood groups, serum proteins, and red cell enzymes in the Nganasans (Tavghi)-reindeer hunters from Taimir Peninsula

The Nganasans are made up of two recently tribal populations. These, the Avam and Vadey, were established in the seventeenth century from small reindeer hunting bands, themselves apparently descended from the Yukaghir. Data on 13 blood systems have been described for the first time in the Vadey Nganasans, and the results compared with those previously reported for the two Avam subgroups. As a whole, the Nganasans are characterized by low frequency of B blood group, high frequencies of Ns, cDE, Fy(a), Hp(2), absence of A2, P(c), K, and apparently an absence of cde alleles or haplotypes. Measurement of intrapopulation heterogeneity reveals significant divergence among the two Avam subdivisions (chi 2/16=57.59; P less than 0.001), as well as between the total Avam and Vadey (chi 2/17=79.31; P less than 0.001). Founder principle, and local genetic drift, are believed to account for the greater difference between the Avam and Vadey subgroups than that observed between the two Avam populations. The Nganasans of the Taimir Peninsula appear to be the last group of reindeer hunters remaining in Northern Siberia. For ages they have lived in relative isolation, and therefore are the least touched genetically, either by surrounding herding groups originating in Southern Siberia, or by recent Caucasian admixture.