Due to a rare gene, many men in a family in Bangladesh have no fingerprints, causing many inconveniences in life.
Apu Sarker, 25, lives in a village north of the city of Rajshahi. He is a medical assistant, his father and grandfather are farmers. The men in Apu’s family share a rare genetic mutation that leaves them without fingerprints. The condition affects only a handful of families in the world.
In Apu’s grandfather’s day, this was not a big deal. But over the decades, fingerprints have become the most important and widely collected biometric data in the world. Citizens of all countries use them for everything from immigration to voting to unlocking their smartphones.
In 2008, when Apu was a child, Bangladesh began issuing ID cards to all adults. The database required everyone to have their fingerprints. Officials were baffled by Apu's family's situation. Eventually, the boy and his father received ID cards marked "no fingerprints."
In 2010, fingerprints became mandatory on passports and driver’s licenses. After several attempts, Amal obtained a passport by presenting a medical certificate. However, he has never traveled abroad, partly because he is afraid of the hassles he might encounter at the airport. He has also not obtained a motorcycle license, although he has paid the fee and passed the test.
Apu usually carries a receipt for paying the driving license fee, but this is not always useful in case of being pulled over by the traffic police.
At least four generations of Apu Sarker's family have suffered from an extremely rare condition that leaves them without fingerprints. Photo: BBC
In 2016, the government made it mandatory to check fingerprints against a national database if you want to buy a mobile phone SIM card.
“The staff were confused when I went to buy a SIM card. Their software kept crashing every time I put my finger on the sensor,” he said with a wry smile. Apu was turned down for his purchase. All the male members of his family now use SIM cards in his mother’s name.
The rare and troubling condition that he and his family suffer from is called Adermatoglyphia . It was first popularized in 2007 by Peter Itin, a Swiss physician. He reported the case of a female patient in her 20s who had difficulty entering the United States because she had no fingerprints, even though her face matched her passport.
After examining the patient, Professor Itin discovered that the woman and eight family members all had this condition. Their fingers were smooth and had a low number of sweat glands.
Working with dermatologist Eli Sprecher and graduate student Janna Nousbeck, Professor Itin looked at the DNA of 16 family members of the patient, seven of whom had fingerprints and nine of whom did not.
In 2011, the team discovered a gene called SMARCAD1, which was mutated in nine members of the family. He determined that this was the cause of the rare disease. At the time, there was no research on this gene. The mutation did not appear to cause any health problems other than the loss of fingerprints.
Professor Sprecher said the mutation affects a specific part of the gene that is forgotten and has no function in the body. So it took scientists years to find it.
Experts later named the condition Adermatoglyphia. It can affect multiple generations of a family. Apu Sarker’s uncle, Gopesh, who lives in Dinajpur, had to wait two years to get a passport.
A dermatologist in Bangladesh had previously diagnosed the Apu family's condition as congenital palmar keratosis. Professor Itin said the condition had developed into secondary adermatoglyphia - a version of the condition that can cause dry skin and reduced sweating on the palms and soles. The Sakers also reported this condition.
For the Sarker family, the disease has made it difficult for them to integrate into an increasingly developed society. His father, Amal Sarker, has lived most of his life without too many obstacles, but he feels sorry for his son.
"I can't control it because it's genetic. But seeing my children having all kinds of problems, it really hurts me," he said.
Amal Sarker's fingertips, all without fingerprints. Photo: BBC
Amal and Apu were recently issued a new form of ID, after presenting a medical certificate. The card uses other biometric data, including retinal scans and facial recognition. However, they still cannot buy a SIM card or get a driver’s license. Passports are also a long and laborious process.
"I am tired of explaining my situation so much. I have sought advice from many places, but no one can give me a definite answer. Many people have suggested that I go to court, and if all else fails, I may have to do this for real," he said. Apu hopes to get a passport to travel outside Bangladesh.
Thuc Linh (According to BBC, Oddity Central )
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