Ethnic populations more vulnerable to Covid

Hyderabad: An extensive genomic analysis of small and isolated populations in India, conducted for the first time in the country by genetic researchers from Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and BHU, Varanasi, has indicated that the such populations in the country are more vulnerable to Covid-19 infection.

The ground-breaking study, which was published online recently in the journal Genes and Immunity, found that populations that carry similar long DNA segments (homozygous) in their genome are most likely to be more susceptible to Covid-19.

Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj from CCMB, who is at present also the Director of CDFD, Hyderabad, and Prof Gyaneshwer Chaubey of BHU, Varanasi jointly led the genomic analysis of several Indian populations.

“We have investigated a high-density genomic data of more than 1600 individuals from 227 ethnic populations in India. We found a high frequency of contiguous lengths of homozygous genes among Onge, Jarawa (Andaman Tribes) and a few more populations who are in isolation and follow a strict endogamy, making them highly susceptible for Covid-19 infection,” Dr Thangaraj, who also traced the origin of Andaman Islanders, said.

The CCMB and BHU researchers also assessed the ACE2 gene variants, which make individuals susceptible for Covid and found that the Jarawa and Onge populations have high frequency of these mutations.

“There have been some speculations on the effect of Covid-19 among isolated populations. However, this is for the first time, we have used genomic data to assess the risk of Covid-19 on the small and isolated populations”, says Prof Chaubey, Professor of Molecular Anthropology, BHU, Varanasi.

Director, CCMB, Dr Vinay Kumar Nandicoori in a press release congratulated the researchers for the study and said, “Results obtained from this study suggest that we need to have a high priority protection and utmost care for the isolated populations, so that we don’t lose some of the living treasures of modern human evolution”.

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