Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

A total of 362 males from various regions of Papua New Guinea were screened for red cell glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity. Twenty-six G6PD deficient individuals were identified. Biochemical characterization of G6PD purified from these subjects has revealed 13 new variants and several copies of previously described forms of G6PD. This study illustrates the extreme heterogeneity of G6PD deficiency among the people of Papua New Guinea.

Sickle‐cell/β+‐thalassaemia in a Papua New Guinean: the first reported case of the sickle gene in Papua New Guinea

“…It is found widely in Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and parts of India, and in communities of African descent in countries such as the United States and the Caribbean, 2 but has never previously been reported in Papua New Guinea. This seems surprising in a country where malaria is endemic, where the thalassaemias are common, 3 ‐ 5 where there is a wide variety of G6PD variants 6 , 7 and where Southeast Asian ovalocytosis (SAO) is also common. 8 , 9 …”