Blood groups of Baboons. Population genetics of feral animals.

Blood and saliva from 495 Ethiopan baboons were collected in the field and tested for their human-type A-B-O groups while 493 blood samples were tested for their simian-type blood factors Ap, Bp, Cp, Gp, Np, ca and hu. Four series of feral animals were tested: 194 olive baboons, a troop of 82 and another of 90 hamadryas baboons, and a series of 129 baboons classified as olive/hamadryas hybrids. In addition, 126 baboons from other sources were tested for their human-type A-B-O groups and 131 for their simian-type blood groups. Human-type groups A, B and AB but not group O were found in combined series of 621 animals. Gene frequency analysis also indicated the absence of group O. Population analysis of the data obtained for the 493 Ethiopian baboons has shown that the simian-type blood groups Ap and Bp are independent of one another. In contrast Bp and Gp appear to be determined by corresponding allelic genes; if confirmed by population data on additional series of animals, this would define the first baboon blood group system found. There is a close association between the blood group specificities ca and hu, the exact nature of which still remains to be clarified. Blood group ca, originally believed to be species specific, is found to be polymorphic in both olive baboons and hamadryas as well as in the hybrids; hu, on the other hand, present in all hamadryas tested, is polymorphic only in olive baboons.