An ethnic group is a human population whose members identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common genealogy or ancestry (Smith 1986). Ethnic groups are also usually united by common cultural, behavioural, linguistic, or religious practices. In this sense, an ethnic group is also a cultural community.

From an objective standpoint, an ethnic group is also an endogamous population, that is, members of an ethnic group procreate primarily with other members of their ethnic group, something which is measurable in terms of characteristic average genetic frequencies. These differences, however, usually do not approach the magnitude of racial difference in that the genetic differences within an ethnic group are greater than the difference between any two ethnic groups. The characteristic of endogamy is reinforced by proximity, cultural familiarity, and also social pressure (in extreme cases, by legal command) to procreate within the ethnic group.

Types of ethnic group

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In general, two types of ethnic groups have arisen in human history. The earliest form is the kinship-based ethnic group most closely corresponding to the term "tribe". As human populations became more mobile, another type of ethnic group arose, most closely associated with the evolution of the state ("country"), as the opportunity to procreate outside the old kinship systems presented itself. Invasion, migration, and pan-ethnic religions have contributed to a further evolution of new ethnic groups out of the mixture of older ethnic groups. At the same time, ethnic distinction can persist, even within the bounds of a single country as long as members of an ethnic group procreate primarily among themselves, for various reasons.

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Blackwell Synergy: HIV Medicine: Table of Contents

Genotypic antiretroviral drug resistance testing at low viral loads in the UK
HIV Medicine, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Background Antiretroviral drug resistance testing is recommended in HIV-1 infected patients failing therapy in order to inform treatment selection. Although guidelines and test manufacturers recommend a viral load of at least 500–1000 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL ...
Effect of gender and highly active antiretroviral therapy on HIV-related pulmonary arterial hypertension: results of the HIV–HEART Study
HIV Medicine, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Background Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease. HIV-infected patients exhibit a considerably higher rate of development of this condition compared to the general population. Methods This cross-sectional study of 802 (83.4% ...
RNA amplification of the HIV-1 Pol and env regions on dried serum and plasma spots
HIV Medicine, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Background Dried sample spots have molecular applications, but few data are available on conditions of HIV-1 RNA amplification. Objectives To determine the impact of (i) the sample type (plasma or serum), (ii) various storage periods, (iii) transfer at ...

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