ABH SECRETORS STATUS IN OSOGBO, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

There are variations in the distribution of secretors and non-secretors in relation to ABO blood group phenotypes which influence disease susceptibility from one region to another. In Nigeria, there are no reports on the proportion of secretors and non-secretors among the Yoruba people of Southwestern region. This study was carried out to determine the secretor status of the inhabitants of Osogbo, Southwestern Nigeria, together with its relationship with ABO blood group. Blood and saliva samples were collected from each of the 740 apparently healthy individuals (362 men and 378 women) who participated in the study. ABO blood grouping was done using standard tile and tube methods and secretor status was determined by haemagglutination inhibition test. Of the 740 participants, 578 (78.1%) were secretors and 162 (21.6%) were non-secretors. The frequencies of secretors were 78.7% and 77.5% in male and female participants respectively (ᵡ2 = 0.16, df = 1, p = 0.69). ABO blood group distributions among the participants were 52.7% group O, 20.8% group A, 22.0% group B and 4.5% group AB and there were no significant variations between men and women (ᵡ2= 0.034, df= 3, p= 0.98). The incidence of secretors was 86.8% in group O, 64.9% in A, 71.8% in B and 66.7% in AB (ᵡ2= 36.696, df= 3, p< 0.001). This study shows that secretors are more than non-secretors, secretor status is independent of sex and the ability to secrete ABH substances varies significantly with ABO blood grouping with blood group O secretors being more than non-O secretors.