New Considerations on the Distribution of Malaria, Thalassemia, and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehyrogenase Deficiency in Sardinia

Document Type

Article

Authors

Peter J. Brown, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Abstract

Data on the geographical distribution of malaria and the genetic traits of thalas­semia and G-6-PD deficiency within the island population of Sardinia, Italy, are summarized. The traditional explanation for the genetic trait distribution, the re­sult of differential selection by endemic malaria, is called into question. Previous analyses had used altitude as an indirect measure of malaria; epidemiological information is presented to show that such an assumption is inadequate and incorrect. Utilizing morbidity data from an island-wide malaria survey conducted by Fermi, the present analysis does not replicate the expected correlation between malaria morbidity and gene traits, thalassemia and G-6-PD deficiency. An alternative hypothesis, that gene flow due to historical migrations during the Carthaginian and Roman epochs helps to explain the geographical distribution of thalassemia and G-6-PD deficiency, is offered.

Recommended Citation

Brown, Peter J. (1981) "New Considerations on the Distribution of Malaria, Thalassemia, and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehyrogenase Deficiency in Sardinia," Human Biology: Vol. 53: Iss. 3, Article 10.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol53/iss3/10