Duffy (Fy), DARC, and neutropenia among women from the United States, Europe and the Caribbean

Abstract

Re-use of this article is permitted in accordance with the Creative Commons Deed, Attribution 2.5, which does not permit commercial exploitation. Summary Neutropenia associated with race/ethnicity has essentially been unexplained and, although thought to be benign, may affect therapy for cancer or other illnesses. A recent study linked a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs2814778) in the Duffy antigen/receptor chemokine gene (DARC) with white blood cell count. We therefore analysed the association of the rs2814778 CC, TC and TT genotypes with absolute neutrophil count (ANC) among asymptomatic women from the Caribbean, Europe and the United States. Among 261 study participants, 33/47 women from Barbados/ Trinidad-Tobago, 34/49 from Haiti, 26/37 from Jamaica, and 29/38 US-born black women, but only 4/50 from the Dominican Republic and 0/4