Maltese with genetic susceptibility to poliomyelitis : sibs with paralysis at different times

The author of this article found the records of 1,072 Maltese cases of poliomyelitis in the islands of Malta from 1909 to 1964. These cases and baptism matched controls were traced to their great grand-parents and all marriages were checked for consanguinity. There were no twins among the polios or controls, but there were 70 pairs of sibs. Of these, 13 pairs suffered poliomyelitis in different epidemics even though the younger sib was born after the elder was paralysed. The 27 pairs of polio sibs were directly related to more than twice as many other polios (through grand-parents and great grand-parents) as the 22 pairs of control sibs. The families of polio sibs contained more consanguineous marriages than either the 21 sibs of which one was a polio and the other a control or the control sibs. The polio sibs provide further evidence of genetic susceptibility to poliomyelitis and possible problems arising from the eradication of the diseasepeer-reviewe

Epidemics of poliomyelitis in the Maltese island of Gozo : genetic susceptibility

There were fewer epidemics of polio in Gozo than in the much bigger island of Malta, but over many years the proportion of cases was similar. Within Gozo, the attack rate was greater in some villages and this was caused by some extended, related families with genetic susceptibility to polio. In these families, there was considerable consanguinity. Two thirds of the polio cases were related. To understand polio, one must study the disease over many years, not just isolated statistics from unconnected epidemics.peer-reviewe

Consanguinity in the Maltese Islands

Consanguineous marriages may increase the risk of some medical conditions and may be useful to examine social and other aspects. There were few such marriages in the Maltese islands until late in the 19th C when they increased until they began to decline in the new century. These marriages were twice as common in Gozo as in Malta, but the proportion varied in parishes. In some parishes, such marriages were mainly among a few related families; some families had many consanguinities over several generations. These marriages probably reflected the social standing of the families and the lack of mixing of young people with others of lower status. Families of polio cases showed many consanguineous marriages.peer-reviewe