ANALYSIS OF HLA-DQ-ALPHA ALLELE AND GENOTYPE FREQUENCIES IN POPULATIONS FROM FLORIDA

HLA DQalpha allele and genotype frequencies for Caucasian, African Ame rican, Haitian, and Hispanic populations in Florida have been estimate d. The Florida laboratories involved in these studies collected donor samples from a variety of sites including clinical laboratories, victi m and suspect standards, blood banks, county jail detainees, and labor atory personnel. We have determined that the Caucasian and African Ame rican DQalpha genotype frequencies do not deviate significantly from H ardy-Weinberg expectations and as a result of this heterogencity analy ses, data from the four Florida Caucasian populations may be combined and data from the four Florida African American populations may be com bined to form two large HLA DQalpha genotype frequency databanks. Furt her, data from the Florida Haitian population may be combined with the Florida African American population. Comparison of the combined Flori da Caucasian populations, combined Florida African American population s, the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office (PBSO) Hispanic, and PBSO Haitian p opulation with other databases does not support combination because al lele frequency distributions are heterogenous. nn