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Taste sensitivity to P.T.C. in samples from three Brazilian populations *
Author(s) -
FREIREMAIA ADEMAR,
QUELCESALGADO ANTONIO
Publication year - 1959
Publication title -
annals of human genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1469-1809
pISSN - 0003-4800
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-1809.1959.tb01720.x
Subject(s) - curitiba , taste , genotype , demography , population , medicine , biology , food science , genetics , humanities , gene , philosophy , sociology
Summary 1. The frequencies of non‐tasters to p.t.c . were determined in samples from three Brazilian populations: Salvador, Ba (38%), Curitiba, Pr (26%), and Presidente Prudente, SP (8%). The frequency of non‐tasters in the white Brazilian general population is calculated to be about 30 %, giving the frequency of the non‐taster gene equal to 0.55. 2. Using the Harris & Kalmus method, the existence of variations within single individuals in taste sensitivity to p.t.c . was shown, thus confirming previous information obtained with a different and less precise method. 3. The frequencies of non‐tasters among smokers and non‐smokers were found to be statistically not significantly different. 4. The frequencies of non‐tasters obtained by other authors in adults from a tuberculosis sanatorium in Curitiba are statistically lower than those we obtained in normal individuals from the same city. This finding could be interpreted in favour of the hypothesis that the non‐taster genotype shows a higher susceptibility to tuberculosis.