Scientists probe birth of blonde Nigerian baby

It is said to be impossible, a miracle, a rare event. But it may not really be impossible after all. Scientists are amazed that a Nigerian couple in London gave birth to a blue-eyed blonde baby. They say the event is only possible if the couple went through Assisted Reproductive Technique (ART) such as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) or they had a white parent in their ancestry.

The scientists say the only way to explain such an outcome is due to some forms of genetic mutation. They insist that it is only when the full medical history is known that a clear direction can be made in trying to unfold the science of this medical development. They say natural cause is remote but could be explained if the family agrees to be subjected to thorough genetic tests.

The scientists are an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, United States and Chief Medical Director of Medical Art Centre (MART), Ikeja, Lagos, and Joint Pioneer of IVF/Test Tube Baby Technology in Nigeria, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru; a professor of genetics at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Prof. Peter Odeigah; a cytogenetist, professor of anatomy, and former Deputy Vice Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Prof. Dayo Ejiwunmi; and head of human genetics at Oxford University, United Kingdom, Prof. Bryan Sykes.

The Daily Sun in the United Kingdom reported on Tuesday that Benjamin and Angela Ihegboro’s daughter, Nmachi, was born at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup, Kent, to Igbo parents who have no history of mixed race which makes this case extremely rare.

Doctors say the white-skinned newborn is not an albino. The question is, does that mean Angela could have cheated? “If the wife cheated then there could be a possibility of a mixed race but not 100 per cent white colour,” Ashiru said.

Ashiru said if the couple had a natural conception through intercourse, then it is a very unusual occurrence, particularly having seen the picture of the couple involved and they both have prominent black features.
He, however, said it could be explained in a black population that has white ancestral parents. “Then, if the two parents are of mixed race (termed half cast here in Nigeria), then they may end up with a baby that is either black or mixed or white, but this is very rare but it happens, and there are some examples but either one or both parents would have some of the manifestations of white genes,” Ashiru explained.

He further stated: “A white baby being delivered by a black couple is a very rare event. The explanation can be made if one knows the medical history of the couple. However, the first possible explanation was similar to what happened in California, United States of America (USA) in 1992. Two couples, one black and the other white, went through IVF in the laboratory of Dr. Ricardo Asch, an IVF practitioner. They both got pregnant and at delivery the white couple gave birth to a black baby while the black couple gave birth to a white baby. That created a lot of roar, which led to the regulation of IVF in the United States of America.

“In the California case what happened was that the embryos got mixed up in such a way that the white embryo was given to the black lady while the black embryo was given to the white lady. The America Board of Bioanalysis was then mandated to issue several laboratory procedures for IVF and all IVF practitioners especially those who head the laboratory had to be certified through examination as High Complexity Clinical Laboratory Director (HCLD). Since then the practice of IVF in USA has been trouble free.”

According to Ashiru, the determination of white or black pigmentation is by polygenetic factors and not one single gene. He therefore said if the couple had no ancestral parents as claimed in some reports, then this case was very unique and that deserved further evaluation for proper documentation in science.

“This will have to be looked along the line of a complex mutation. Were the parents exposed to any mutagenic agents or what was the source of the unusual gene change? Until the full medical history is known, a clear direction can’t be made in trying to unfold the science of this medical development,” Ashiru said.

Ejiwunmi said it could be a sensational mistaken switch at birth or IVF white embryo transfer or mixed ancestry is excluded by the history. “Natural cause is highly remote but could be explained if the family agrees to thorough genetic tests. The family may face social issues,” he said.

Odegaih said the development raised a lot of questions. “This is a puzzle, if the paternity is certain there was no rape, then some sources of unexplained pregnancy can be accidental exposure to sperm in a swimming pool or unadmitted sperm insemination,” he said. Odeigah added: “We do not know the family history of the couple. Without their family history it will be hard to explain this rare phenomenon.”

Sykes said: “The birth is extraordinary. In mixed race humans, the lighter variant of skin tone may come out in a child and this can sometimes be startlingly different to the skin of the parents.”

Sykes said both parents would have needed some form of white ancestry. “The hair is extremely unusual. Even many blonde children do not have blonde hair like this at birth. The rules of genetics are complex and we still do not understand what happens in many cases. This might be a case where there is a lot of genetic mixing, as in Afro-Caribbean populations. But in Nigeria there is little mixing.”

Skyes said that both parents would have needed some form of white ancestry for a pale version of their genes to be passed on. The only way to explain such an outcome is due to some form of genetic mutation.