Multiplicity of genetic polymorphisms of blood in the Schmiedeleut Hutterites.

Ninety-eight alleles in 38 polymorphisms of blood are identified in the Schmiedeleut Hutterites. The study was initiated because of the presence of Wda, an allele found almost exclusively in Hutterites. Eight of the other alleles also have an exceedingly low incidence in a random white population: r″ (.006), R2w (<.001), LWb (<.01), ESD*rare (<.001), GPT*0 (.004), NP*4 (<.001), GOT2*3 (.001), and C6*0 (.002). The occurrence of this many rare alleles in a population with an estimated maximum of 124 ancestral genomes was surprising but consistent with observations in other isolates. The degree of heterozygosity and large family size make the population ideal for genetic linkage studies.