Haptoglobins, Transferrins and Serum Gamma-globulin Types in Malayan Aborigines

Abstract

THE Malayan aborigines form a distinct ethnic group which is socially and anthropologically different from the three main population groups in Malaya—the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians. The aborigines live mostly in the jungle, follow their own customs and beliefs and have little contact with non-aborigines. They are plagued by diseases, the most common of which are malaria and tuberculosis. Genetically the aborigines are of particular interest. Studies have revealed high frequencies in this population of certain haematological abnormalities: haemoglobin E ranges from 8 to 50 per cent in different groups¹, glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P) dehydrogenase deficiency from 8 to 23 per cent¹, and hereditary ovalocytosis is found in 12.3 per cent of aborigines examined². These high frequencies may be due to malaria or inbreeding or both. We now report the results of a preliminary study of haptoglobins, transferrins and serum gamma-globulin types in Malayan aborigines.