Contrasting frequencies of CCR5delta32 and CCR2-64I alleles in the Tunisian population.

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study of the frequencies of the human CC-chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5)-delta32 CCR2-64I and CCR5-59653T alleles in 145 healthy HIV-1-uninfected Tunisian individuals using the spectral genotyping assay. The main purpose was to compare previous results of the study on the frequency of the CCR5-delta32 allele conducted among a White population. Overall the authors found that the CCR5-delta32 allele is significantly less frequent (Fisher exact test p value < 0.0001) among Tunisians. The genotype distribution is in equilibrium as predicted by the Hardy-Weinberg equation (p = 0.8998) showing that no strong selection process is affecting the population. In contrast to the CCR5-delta32 allele the CCR2-64I allele is significantly more frequent in the Tunisian population (Fisher exact test p value = 0.0108). The authors results of the CCR5-delta32 and CCR264I/CCR5-59653T allele frequency obtained in the Tunisian population are consistent with the results from previous studies indicating that CCR5-delta32 allele frequencies decrease from Northern European to sub-Saharan populations.