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Demographic and genetic structure of the population of Castanhal, in the Amazon Region of Brazil

Ândrea Kely Campos Ribeiro-dos-Santos; Eduardo José Melo dos Santos; João Farias Guerreiro; Sidney Emanuel Batista dos Santos

Departamento de Patologia, Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, PA, Brasil. Send correspondence to Â.K.C.R.S.

ABSTRACT

Five-hundred individuals were investigated for five demographic parameters and 13 genetic markers in the trihybrid population of Castanhal, State of Pará, Brazil. The rate of immigration (20.4%) was one of the highest in the region. In general, the genetic polymorphisms did not present significant differences within the region. Rare alleles such as HP*2M, and CP*A and CP*C were observed, as well as two albumin variants. Mean heterozygosity, mean number of alleles per locus, and percent of polymorphic loci were similar to those observed in nine other Amazonian communities. The relative contribution of the main ethnic groups was estimated to be 42% White, 25% Indian and 33% Black, in Castanhal, the percentage of African ancestry being the largest observed among the admixed populations of the Amazon Region.

Keywords: demographic structure; genetic structure; Castanhal; Amazon.

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