The global distribution of the Duffy blood group

Abstract

Blood group variants are characteristic of population groups, and can show conspicuous geographic patterns. Interest in the global prevalence of the Duffy blood group variants is multidisciplinary, but of particular importance to malariologists due to the resistance generally conferred by the Duffy-negative phenotype against Plasmodium vivax infection. Here we collate an extensive geo-database of surveys, forming the evidence-base for a multi-locus Bayesian geostatistical model to generate global frequency maps of the common Duffy alleles to refine the global cartography of the common Duffy variants. We show that the most prevalent allele globally was FY*A, while across sub-Saharan Africa the predominant allele was the silent FY*BES variant, commonly reaching fixation across stretches of the continent. The maps presented not only represent the first spatially and genetically comprehensive description of variation at this locus, but also constitute an advance towards understanding the transmission patterns of the neglected P. vivax malaria parasite.

Population Genetic Analysis of the DARC Locus (Duffy) Reveals Adaptation from Standing Variation Associated with Malaria Resistance in Humans

“…We observe broad consistency between the geographic distribution of the major allelic types in our dataset and previously published results [4] (Fig 1, S2 Table). We find that the FY Ã O mutation is at or near fixation in western and central African populations, but almost absent from European and Asian samples.…”

“…FY Ã A is defined by a derived non-synonymous mutation (D42G, rs12075) in the P. vivax binding region of the DARC protein. It is the most prevalent of the three alleles in modern human populations, with highest frequency in Asia (predicted frequency >80%) and at 30-50% frequency in Europe [4]. FY Ã A is also present in southern Africa, despite absence from western and central Africa [4,[7][8][9].…”

“…It is the most prevalent of the three alleles in modern human populations, with highest frequency in Asia (predicted frequency >80%) and at 30-50% frequency in Europe [4]. FY Ã A is also present in southern Africa, despite absence from western and central Africa [4,[7][8][9]. FY Ã O (also known as Duffy null) is defined by a mutation (T-42C, rs2814778) in the GATA-1 transcription factor binding site in the DARC gene promoter region, and occurs mostly on a FY Ã B background.…”

“…FY Ã O (also known as Duffy null) is defined by a mutation (T-42C, rs2814778) in the GATA-1 transcription factor binding site in the DARC gene promoter region, and occurs mostly on a FY Ã B background. The derived FY Ã O mutation exhibits extreme geographic differentiation, being near fixation in equatorial Africa, but nearly absent from Asia and Europe [4].…”

Diversity, host switching and evolution of Plasmodium vivax infecting African great apes

“…vivax is considered to be virtually absent in humans in West and Central Africa, where more than 95% of the human population is supposed to be resistant to it because of the absence of the Duffy antigen (Duffy negativity) on the surface of their red blood cells (6). However, there are several reports of Duffy positive travelers returning from these regions of the world infected with P. vivax (7)(8)(9)(10) and other studies have reported findings that suggest a possible transmission of the parasite in this region (11,12).…”