Isolated populations vulnerable to COVID, says study

SARS-CoV-2 has impacted various ethnic groups all over the world and scientists have found that populations carrying similar long DNA segments (‘homozygous’ or identical genes inherited from parents)

SARS-CoV-2 has impacted various ethnic groups all over the world and scientists have found that populations carrying similar long DNA segments (‘homozygous’ or identical genes inherited from parents) in their genome are most likely to be more susceptible to the infection.

CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB)’s scientist Kumarasamy Thangaraj, who is now the director of Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, and Benarus Hindu University (BHU)’s Gyaneshwer Chaubey jointly led the genomic analysis of several Indian populations following reports that coronavirus has impacted various ethnic indigenous groups across the world.

India is home to several indigenous and smaller communities, including Andaman Islanders, who are living in isolation for tens of thousands of years and the latest study by the scientists show “high frequency of contiguous lengths of homozygous genes among Onge, Jarawa (Andaman Tribes) and a few more populations, who are in isolation and follow a strict endogamy of marrying within a community or tribe, making them highly susceptible to COVID-19”.