For example, a study of the SARS epidemic by Professor Marie Lin of Mackay Memorial Hospital's Immunohematory Reference Laboratory concluded that, as a result of differences in tissue antigens, Minnan and Hakka people were more susceptible to SARS infection, while immigrants who came to Taiwan from northern China after WWII were less susceptible.
以馬偕醫院血液實驗室教授林媽利一項針對 SARS 的研究為例，研究結果聲稱，因組織抗原不同，台灣的閩南、客家族群較容易感染 SARS，而「北方漢人」（來自北方的外省移民）比較不容易感染。