Hemoglobin A2' (HbA2delta') in the Mauritanian population: first results of a preliminary survey.

The Mauritanian population consists of two main groups: one Arab and Berber population and one of Black African origin. The latter includes five ethnic groups: Pular, Soninke, Black Maurs, Wolof, and Bambara. Abnormal HbA2 was found in the Mauritanian population and was characterized by cellulose acetate electrophoresis at pH 8.4 followed by DNA analysis. Among 785 subjects examined, 17 were carriers of HbA2' corresponding to 2.16 percent. The highest frequency was observed among the Pular (3.09 percent), the Black Maurs (2.72 percent), the Wolof (2.27 percent), and the Soninke (2.04 percent).