title: Genetic control of survival in epidemics.
abstract: Descendants of Dutch colonists, who emigrated to Surinam in the last century and survived epidemics of typhoid and yellow fever with a total mortality of about 60%, were tested for twenty-six polymorphisms. The gene frequencies were compared with those of a large Dutch control sample. An analysis of drift indicated that the variations in gene frequencies observed for C3, Gm, HLA-B, and GLO were unlikely to be due to drift. Therefore these data might indicate selection through genetic control of survival in these epidemics.
mesh_terms: D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D004798:Enzymes / Q000235:genetics; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000208:ethnology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D013532:Suriname; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality; D015004:Yellow Fever / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D004798:Enzymes; D006680:HLA Antigens; D007136:Immunoglobulins