Blood Group Genetic Data From the Maprik Area of the Sepik District, New Guinea

This paper reports haptoglobin and transferrin typing of 2687 serum specimens from Melanesians of New Guinea and New Britain. The specimens were obtained from members of 27 different cultural and linguistic groups residing in over 100 different villages in six different administrative districts. They were divided among the Districts as follows: New Britain 821, Sepik 623, Morobe 349, Eastern Highlands 613, Southern Highlands 222, and Western Highlands 59.In addition serum haptoglobin levels, serum iron levels and total serum iron binding capacity have been determined on these subjects. In the field hemoglobin determinations, blood smears for examination for malaria parasite rates, and spleen palpations were done on a proportion of the subjects, mostly children under ten years whose sera have been examined in this study. These field and laboratory results are correlated with the transferrin and haptoglobin gene frequency findings.The available data on haptoglobin and transferrin types in Melanesia is limited almost entirely to small groups in certain areas of the highlands of New Guinea. taken from the same specimens whose clots were examined for bIood group studies which have been recently reported. Thus, detailed discussions of many of the populations under investigation, their linguistic and cultural affiliations, and their ethnic origins have been presented along with brief discussions of the medical problems in each area in a series of recent reports

Haptoglobins and transferrins in Melanesia: Relation to hemoglobin, serum haptoglobin and serum iron levels in population groups in Papua—New Guinea

Curtain¹,

Gajdusek²,

Kidson³

et al. 1965

Blood group genetic variations in inhabitants of West New Guinea, with a map of the villages and linguistic groups of South West New Guinea

Simmons

Gajdusek

Nicholson

1967

The paper reports the blood group genetic variations found in 1479 individuals, mainly of 17 cultural and linguistic groups, in the ABO, MNS and Rh blood group system. The blood samples consisted of 913 from groups in the south, 422 from the Central Highlands region, and 144 from the northeastern part of the country near Lake Sentani and the Cyclops Mountains.The results of all surveys in West New Guinea in which the ABO, MNS and Rh blood groups were determined have been tabulated.Wide variations in gene frequencies were found for A, B, n, S, R1 and R2. No example of subgroup A2 was detected. Remarkably high values for A of 0.36 and 0.41 were found in the Sarmi and Wakde of the northern area. The frequency of B reached an unusually high value of 0.3938 in the Mulia region of the Western Dani (central area), while in other Dani populations B values were also relatively high. In the Sarmi region in the north B was 0.335 in the Baudji and 0.02 in the Wakde.The n frequencies were all high with values reaching 0.97–0.98 in southern, central and northern areas. S of MNS varied from 0 to 50% in phenotype values; however, in the central area and in parts of the northern area the S gene was absent, or present only in very low values. The genotype mS was found in Samarckema and in Pionier‐Bivak natives of the Mamberamo region (northern area).Values for R1 reached 0.996 in Asmat (southern area), 0.980 in Dani, Baliem Valley, Pyramid (central area), 0.98 in Martewar, Ferkami, Teba and 0.99 in Takar and Mamberamo (northern area). The phenotype RH0 was found only twice, and then in Sentani (northern area). The gene Rz was detected in three southern series, in two central series, and in two northern series. Rh0(Du) variants of “high‐grade” and “low‐grade” were found in northern and in southern series.Possible reasons for the wide gene frequency variations found in the same linguistic group, in different groups in the same area, and in all the indigenous peoples of the southern, central and northern areas are discussed.A comprehensive map of South West New Guinea showing all linguistic groups and the sites in 1963 of all villages is appended to the paper. This map covers one of the areas whose blood groups are reported in the paper, but includes many more villages and linguistic groups than those from which bleedings were obtained.

The Pahira: A population genetical study

Basu¹

1969

The Pahira is a small, primitive population of 1353 individuals inhabiting the hills and forests of the Ajodhya and the Dalma hill ranges in eastern India.Demographic, ABO blood groups, P.T.C. tasteblindness and anthropometric data are presented.The purpose of the present study is: to describe the biological characteristics of the population; to review the data from the point of view of the possible occurrence of maritally isolated, genetically different subpopulations within the population; to assess the possible causes of such differences, and to discuss the implications of such subpopulations and to examine the common assumption that allele frequencies throughout a population (ie., among its several subpopulations) are homogeneous.It is shown that the Pahiras are divided into three subpopulations; that the subpopulations are different with respect to blood groups, tasteblindness and anhropometric measurements; that some of the variations show a clinal trend; that N.P. and S.P.I. are closer to each other than either of them to S.P.11; that such a breeding structure and genetic composition may have important evolutionary implications; that such a breeding structure emphasizes the importance of demographic information in population genetics; and, that our common assumption that allele frequencies throughout a population are homogeneous may not be valid.