A mutant allele of the chemokine receptor gene CCR5 bearing a 32-basepair deletion (delta 32CCR5) could increase the resistance to HIV-1 infection or delayed progression to AIDS. The frequency of this mutation is higher in Europeans than in Asians. To investigate the distribution of this polymorphism in China, 715 individuals from 11 Chinese populations were screened by PCR, including the Han and 10 other ethnic groups. The delta 32CCR5 gene was found in 16 individuals from 5 ethnic groups. All of them were heterozygous. The frequency of the mutant alleles of delta 32CCR5 is low in China and reflects (or might reflect) ancestral gene flow from Europe to Chinese ethnic groups and recent intermarriage within the ethnic groups.