Strange situation of no fingerprints of 4 generations in the same family

Not only is it a strange condition, it is also an extremely rare disease that happened to a family in Bangladesh. At least 4 generations in the same family have no fingerprints.
Apu Sarker (aka Apu), 22 years old, currently living in Rajshahi district (Bangladesh) is one of the family members suffering from the absence of fingerprints. The men in Apu’s family, father, grandfather, brother all suffer from the same extremely rare disease.

The story begins with Apu’s grandfather. At that time, the problem of not having a fingerprint was not considered a serious matter. Until now, the disease was considered a condition that could only be found in a few families worldwide. Speaking to the BBC, Apu said: “At that time, my family and I did not think the problem of not having fingerprints would be inherited and affect future generations.” For decades, fingerprints have been considered the most collected biometric data in the world. Fingerprints are used in many fields, from airport check-in to voting, smartphone opening and Identity verification. No fingerprints: it doesn’t seem to affect the body, but it leads to many inadequacies In 2008, when Apu was a child, the Bangladeshi government adopted a national identification card for all adults and the database required fingerprints. Since there were no fingerprints, the staff stamped the line. “NO FINGERPRINT” (NO FINGER) on Apu’s card. Apu’s fingertips have no fingerprints. Photo: BBC In 2010, fingerprints were required for passports and driver’s licenses in India. After several attempts, Apu was able to obtain a passport by presenting a certificate from the medical board. However, Apu never used it, partly out of fear of problems he might run into at the airport. Moreover, motorbike is a necessary means of transportation to work, Apu has not yet been granted a driver’s license. “I paid the fee, passed the exam but they didn’t give me the degree because I couldn’t provide my fingerprints,” Apu said. Because of the problem of not having a driver’s license, Apu often had to pay fines when the traffic police checked the papers. Despite bringing medical documents to prove her condition, Apu still did not receive sympathy and had to pay a fine. However, the trouble did not stop there. In 2016, the Indian government required fingerprint authentication against the national database to purchase sim cards for mobile phones. And of course, Apu can’t match because it doesn’t have a fingerprint. Currently, Apu and other men in the family are using Apu’s mother’s phone sim. Anu Sarker, Apu’s younger brother, also had a problem with no fingerprints. Photo: BBC Findings from research on this extremely rare condition A rare condition that affects the Apu family is called Adermatoglyphia. This condition first became known in 2007 when Peter Itin, a Swiss dermatologist, was contacted by a woman in the country who informed her that she was having difficulty entering the US. The girl was 20 years old at the time, her face matched the photo on her passport but customs officers could not take her fingerprints because she did not have one. On examination, Professor Itin discovered that the girl and eight other members of her family had the same strange condition – flat fingers and decreased number of sweat glands in the hands. Working with other collaborators Professor Itin examined the DNA of 16 family members. The results show that 7 people have fingerprints and 9 people do not. The condition is isolated and rare, reported in only a few families worldwide, Professor Itin said. In 2011, Itin’s team conducted research on the SMARCAD1 gene and found that the gene was mutated in nine non-fingerprint members of the woman’s family. This is the cause of the absence of fingerprints. However, at that time, the gene problem was not studied in depth and the condition did not affect the health of the sufferer other than affecting the hands. After the discovery, the researchers took the name Adermatoglyphia to name this condition. Adermatoglyphia affects several generations in a family and is hereditary because it is caused by a genetic mutation. Professor Itin determined the status of the Apu family could be secondary Adermatoglyphia. However, more genetic testing and research is needed to confirm it. Recently, after completing the procedure and presenting medical documents, Apu received a new type of identification card issued by the Bangladesh government. This type of card uses retina scan and facial recognition data to verify identity. However, Apu has yet to obtain a driver’s license or buy a sim card and the process of obtaining a passport remains a dilemma for him.