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Study on Possible Increase in Twinning Rate at a Small Village in South Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

U. Matte ,
M. G. Le Roux ,
B. Bénichou ,
J. P. Moisan  and
R. Giugliani
U. Matte*
Affiliation:
Medical Genetics Unit, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
M. G. Le Roux
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, France
B. Bénichou
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, France
J. P. Moisan
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, France
R. Giugliani
Affiliation:
Medical Genetics Unit, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
*
Medical Genetics Unit Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, 90035 – 003 Porto Alegre, RS –, Brasil.

Abstract

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A high frequency of twin births has been observed in Linha São Pedro, a small settlement which belongs to the city of Cândido Godói, located 524 km Northwest from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in an ethnically homogeneous population of German descent restricted to a small geographic region. From 1990 to 1994, the proportion of twin births in Linha São Pedro was 10%, significantly higher than the 1.8% rate for the state of Rio Grande do Sul as a whole. Genealogical analysis showed a high recurrence of multiple births within families, as well as a high level of inbreeding in the community. Zygosity data indicated that 9 of the 17 pairs of twins studied (53%) were dizygotic. No external environmental factors were detected that could be influencing the appearance of this characteristic. This preliminary investigation confirmed the presumed existence of a high twinning rate in the community. The high familial recurrence and the high inbreeding rate suggests the presence of genetic twinning factors. Complementary studies of twins that have yet to be evaluated and the search for additional risk factors, as well as linkage studies, should contribute to a further understanding of the biological factors related to twin births in the human species.

Keywords

Twinning rateTwin birthsMonozygotic twinsDizygotic twinsGenetic factors
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 45 , Issue 4 , October 1996 , pp. 431 - 437
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1996

References

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