Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase genetic differences

M7. Marks, P. A., and Gross, R. T., Erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency Evidence of differences between Negroes and Caucasians with respect to this genetically determined trait. ] Clin. Invest. 38, 2253-2262 (1959). 

Genetics In certain individuals, the same dose may produce their effect 5-6 times more among others, which is due to their differing rate of drug metabolism, e.g. haemolysis occurs with primaquine in a person with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency. 

During World War II, American soldiers stationed in tropical countries received primaquine (25) as antimalarial prophylaxis it turned out that only soldiers of African descent developed hemolysis from the administration of primaquine. The explanation came aitr(26) The affected soldiers had a genetic deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase this deficiency was frequent in Africans because it protected the carrier from malaria, but it was rare in countries without malaria. After discovery of the genetic deficiency of iso-niazid acetylation (5,27), other investigators found substantial interethnic differences in the frequency of this deficiency (28). The deficiency was rare in Eskimos (Inuit), relatively frequent in Europeans and Africans, and intermediate in East Asians. 

Some substance in the fava bean seems to be responsible for a similar hemolytic process. Genetic transmission of sensitivity to the fava bean has not been well studied, but the disease is prevalent in man. The similarity between favism and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is evidenced by two different observations. When studies of the contents of glutathi-... 

Other work (Boyer et al., 1962 Escobar et al., 1964 Mohler and Crockett, 1964) has revealed a clear pattern of the genetic control of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The existence of two different types of enzymes in erythrocytes of heterozygotes was... 

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