Hereditary ovalocytosis in Melanesians

A distinctive type of hereditary ovalocytosis has been found in Papua New Guinea and a few areas of Southeast Asia. Its main features include a high incidence among tropical lowland dwellers, autosomal recessive inheritance, specific depression of a number of red cell antigens, a characteristic morphology in blood films, and an effect on the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Speculation has occurred as to whether the high incidence of ovalocytosis in malarious areas may be related to a selective advantage possessed by ovalocytics with regard to severe malaria. Preliminary data tend to support this hypothesis, but the evidence is not conclusive and much further work is needed.