Reply #52: Could there be a genetic reason to explain the high death rates in Mexico? RE Native American HLA's

[mikekohr]

http://www.brotherhooddays.com/healing.html

The European plagues that decimated Native populations came in wave after wave, with some plagues individually, and others collectively having mortality rates of up to 95%. These diseases were for the most part introduced incidentally, though at times with purposeful deliberation, but nearly always noted with celebration or observed with dispassion and distance.

The stunning death rates of Native Americans to European pathogens was due in part to lack of exposure, but also due to genetic traits that limited Native Peoples ability to deal with these unseen killers. Native People are free of many genetic diseases but have a relatively narrow genetic range. Four mitochondrial haplogroups, named A, B, C, and D, 76).account for 96.9% of all Native Americans. More than 90% of Native People of North American and nearly 100% of Native South Americans have type O blood. Europeans are relatively evenly split between types A and O. More importantly American Indians have only about 17 Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA's) classes as opposed to Europeans having on average about 35 HLA classes. HLA's are one of the human body's two main lines of defense against sickness. In addition Native Americans HLA profiles are dominated by a small number of types. There is evidence that the other line of defense in humans against disease, Helper T cells, are in the case of Native Americans oriented predominately against parasites but not as focused on bacteria and virus' as are the immune systems of Europeans.

No where in recorded human history has such a catastrophic depopulation of people as befell the Native People of the Western Hemisphere ever been recorded. These plagues rank as perhaps the most seminal events in the recorded history of mankind. 75).

mike kohr