Favism: Association with Erythrocyte Acid Phosphatase Phenotype

The frequency of carriers of the Pa and Pc alleles of the gene for acid phosphatase in the erythrocyte is significantly higher in male subjects deficient in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and having hemolytic clinical favism than it is in the general population. This observation seems to indicate that alleles (Pa and Pc) of a gene polymorphic in all human populations affect the fitness of the involved phenotypes in special genotypic and nongenotypic conditions.