Compared to other populations, Tay Sachs disease is relatively common in the French Canadian and Jewish populations. Which of the following statements are true about two different populations that have an elevated incidence of the same genetic disease?
Please select all that apply.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An increased likelihood of a disease in two separate populations is suggestive (but not conclusive) of a common ancestor with that disease (such as the relatively high frequency of cystic fibrosis in different European populations that derived from a single common ancestor in Turkey). In the case of Tay Sachs disease in the French Canadian and Jewish populations, the haplotypes and disease-causing variants differ between the populations, indicating that Tay Sachs disease in these populations does not derive from a single common ancestor. Thus, while it is possible that a common variant may be responsible for the disease in both populations, this cannot be concluded without examining the haplotypes of the two populations. Genetic drift is probably responsible for the higher allele frequency and disease frequency in the two populations compared to other populations. The two populations are not considered to be the same population simply because they share a similar prevalence for a single disease - many other factors will differ between the populations.

Compared to Other Populations, Tay Sachs Disease Is Relatively Common