Prevalence of Duffy Blood Groups among the Population of the Desert Region of India

Objectives: The distribution of vivax malaria is uneven in India and Plasmodium vivax is predominant in the North-Western part. Distribution of Duffy blood groups and its prevalence are important for regions where P. vivax predominates, because this molecule on the surface of the red blood cell acts as a receptor for P. vivax. The tribal (aboriginal) and desert area of the state Rajasthan contributes 70% to the malaria disease burden. The study was undertaken to identify the Duffy phenotypes present in the Rajasthan population and their prevalence. Methods: The study population was divided in to tribal and non-tribal groups and into healthy and P. vivax malaria infected groups. Duffy blood groupings of 96 unrelated subjects were carried out by the indirect antiglobulin technique. Simultaneously, malaria status was assessed for all participants using peripheral blood. Results: In the tribal population the prevalence of Duffy phenotypes Fy(a+b-), Fy(a-b+) and Fy(a+b+) were 18.5%, 11.1% and 70.4%, respectively. The prevalence of Duffy phenotype Fy(a+b+) was 15.6% lower in the non-tribal population. The percentage of both tribal and non-tribal population with Duffy phenotype Fy(a+b+) were significantly (p<0.001) higher than the population with Duffy phenotype Fy(a+b-) and Fy(a-b+). The Duffy phenotype Fy(a-b-) was absent in the population of the desert region. A higher prevalence of Duffy phenotype Fy(a+b+) was recorded for malaria patients (83.3%) than for healthy participants (59.0%). Conclusions: The population of the North-Western part of India was susceptible for P. vivax malaria infection and the tribal population seemed to be more susceptible than the non-tribal population.