Étude de la génétique des populations des systèmes sanguins ABO et Rhésus chez les étudiants de l’Université Abdelhamid Ibn Badis

Abstract

Introduction: The ABO and Rhesus (Rh) blood group systems are important genetic markers in humans and play a fundamental role in blood transfusion, forensic medicine, and population genetics. Objective: This study aimed to determine the distribution of ABO blood groups and the Rh factor among students at Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University of Mostaganem, estimate allele frequencies, and assess the genetic equilibrium of the population according to the Hardy–Weinberg law. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 465 students whose families had been established in Mostaganem for at least two generations to minimize the effects of migration and gene flow. Sociodemographic data and blood group information were collected using a hybrid questionnaire (paper-based and online). The mean age of the participants was 20.78 ± 1.97 years. The sample included 147 males and 318 females, corresponding to a male-to-female ratio of 0.46. Phenotypic frequencies were used to estimate allelic and genotypic frequencies. The chi-square (χ²) test was applied to evaluate Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Results: The O blood group was the most frequent (47.7%), followed by A (27.2%), B (18.8%), and AB (6.3%). The corresponding allele frequencies were 0.6990 for allele i, 0.1756 for allele IA, and 0.1253 for allele IB. Regarding the Rh system, 87.31% of the participants were Rh-positive, whereas 12.69% were Rh-negative. The estimated allele frequencies were 0.6431 for allele D and 0.3569 for allele d. Among the study population, 37.63% of the students were born from consanguineous marriages, including 44.2% from first-cousin unions and 21.5% from second-cousin unions. A higher level of homozygosity was observed for both the ABO and Rh systems among individuals from consanguineous unions; however, the differences were not statistically significant compared with those from non-consanguineous unions. Chi-square analysis showed that the study population was in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium for the blood group systems studied (χ²ABO = 3.8263; p > 0.05). Conclusion: These findings contribute to the understanding of the distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups and the genetic structure of Algerian populations.