A bio-anthropological study on the Bakakas of Cameroon.

Bakakas are native Bantus belonging to the Mbo-Bakossi group, peopling the Cameroon's Littoral region. In the context of a wide bio-anthropological study project focused on the bio-historical processes involved in the areas, 278 adults of both sexes from the villages of Ebone and Bakwat (Bakaka Canton) were investigated for 14 erythrocyte and serum genetic polymorphisms (ACP1, ADA, EsD, GLO, Hb beta, GPX1, CAII, PGM1, SAHH, 6-PGD, Hp, Pi, Gc and Tf). With only a few exceptions (Hp and GLO systems), the genetic frequencies of the polymorphisms considered tend to fall within the range of variation known for the subsaharan populations. With reference to the malaria endemicity characterizing the Littoral environment, high frequencies for Hb beta*S allele and absence of the ACP1*R 'Negro allele' were recorded. The genetic distances among Bakakas and 14 other Central African populations were also calculated from six genetic loci.