Study of HLA antigens of the Martinican population.

This is the first time a study has been undertaken on the HLA profile of the Martinican population, a population which is essentially the product of intermixture between African-Negroes and French Caucasians. Two hundred and thirty-eight nonrelated subjects were typed for the A and B loci, 158 subjects for C locus and 128 for DR locus. After analysis of our parameters (antigen and gene frequencies, linkage disequilibria, etc.) and their comparison to those found in the Black and Caucasian control populations, we came to the conclusion that our racially-mixed population is closer to the African-Negro population than to the French Caucasian. A study of the average gene flow enabled us to evaluate the Caucasian contribution as being about 30%. This figure is subject to change inasmuch as racial intermixture continues. Socio-cultural variables are assumed to play a minimal role, given the high rate of illegitimacy.