A population genetic study in the Ochamchir Region, Abkhazia, SSR

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Abstract
The reported longevity of residents of the Caucasus has focused considerable attention on this population. Little is known of the genetic composition of this population. Several village populations of the Ochamchir Region, Abkhaz, SSR, were typed for 37 discrete genetic blood groups, erythrocyte and plasma protein loci. Gene and haplotype frequencies calculated for the polymorphic markers were determined. The results used in an analysis of intervillage heterogeneity and genetic distance analysis comparing the Abkhazians to European and Asian reference populations. The Abkhazians are approximately equal distance from European and West Asian populations in a genetic sense, and this is consistent with their geographical location. In addition to the usual genetic polymorphisms, rare electrophoretic variants were encountered at the lactate dehydrogenase A and phosphohexose isomerase loci. The population of the Ochamchir Region is relatively homogeneous and not distinctly differently from its geographical neighbors.