ANALYSIS OF HLA-DQ-ALPHA ALLELE AND GENOTYPE FREQUENCIES IN POPULATIONS FROM FLORIDA

HLA DQalpha allele and genotype frequencies for Caucasian, African American, Haitian, and Hispanic populations in Florida have been estimated. The Florida laboratories involved in these studies collected donor samples from a variety of sites including clinical laboratories, victim and suspect standards, blood banks, county jail detainees, and laboratory personnel. We have determined that the Caucasian and African American DQalpha genotype frequencies do not deviate significantly from Hardy-Weinberg expectations and as a result of this heterogencity analyses, data from the four Florida Caucasian populations may be combined and data from the four Florida African American populations may be combined to form two large HLA DQalpha genotype frequency databanks. Further, data from the Florida Haitian population may be combined with the Florida African American population. Comparison of the combined Florida Caucasian populations, combined Florida African American populations, the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office (PBSO) Hispanic, and PBSO Haitian population with other databases does not support combination because allele frequency distributions are heterogenous. nn