Understanding the implications of mitochondrial DNA variation in the health of black Southern African populations : the 2014 workshop

Abstract

Knowledge concerning the prevalence and severity of disease related to/associated with variations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in Black African populations lags behind that of other groups from a global perspective. Developing an understanding of the variants that cause mitochondrial disease in this population is clearly interesting from a scientific perspective, and is also of importance to health services in Africa and nations outside of the African continent with appreciable populations of African origin. In addition to identifying mtDNA mutations causing mitochondrial disease, unravelling the role of mtDNA variants in complex disease is of great relevance and will require the coming together of many emerging specialities in southern Africa. This effort will be aided if conducted in a wider collaborative manner in the context of forums such as the South African Human Genome Programme (SAHGP; http://sahgp.sanbi.ac.za), H3 Africa, and the Human Variome Project (HVP; http:// www.humanvariomeproject.org).