The Blood Group Systems

                                                                                                                        

  
 History of Blood Groups and Blood Transfusions

•Experiments with blood transfusions

have been carried out for hundreds of
years. Many patients have died and it was
not until 1901, when the Austrian Karl
Landsteiner discovered human blood
               groups, that blood transfusions became
safer.

• He found that mixing blood from two

individuals can lead to blood clumping.
The clumped RBCs can crack and cause
toxic reactions. This can be fatal.
http://nobelprize.org/medicine/educational/landsteiner/readmore.html
 
History of Blood Groups and Blood
Transfusions (Cont.)

• Karl Landsteiner discovered that blood

clumping was an immunological reaction
which occurs when the receiver of a blood
transfusion has antibodies against the donor
blood cells.

•Karl Landsteiner's work made it possible to

determine blood types and thus paved the
way for blood transfusions to be carried out
safely. For this discovery he was awarded the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in
1930.
 Of What is Blood Made?

An adult human has about 4–6 liters of

 
blood circulating in the body.
Blood consists of several types of cells
floating around in a fluid called plasma.

The red blood cells (RBCs) contain

                     
haemoglobin, a protein that binds oxygen.
RBCs transport oxygen to, and remove
carbon dioxide from the tissues.

The white blood cells fight infection.

The platelets help the blood to clot, if you

get a wound for example.

The plasma contains salts and various

kinds of proteins.
 
What are the different blood groups?
•The differences in human blood are due to the

 
presence or absence of certain protein molecules
called antigens and antibodies.

•The antigens are located on the surface of the

                                                    

RBCs and the antibodies are in the blood

plasma.

•Individuals have different types and

combinations of these molecules.  

 
•The blood group you belong to depends on
             
what you have inherited from your parents.
 
What are the different blood groups?
• There are more than 20 genetically determined
blood group systems known today

• The AB0 and Rhesus (Rh) systems are the

most important ones used for blood transfusions.

• Not all blood groups are compatible with each

other. Mixing incompatible blood groups leads to
blood clumping or agglutination, which is
dangerous for individuals.
ABO blood grouping system

According to the ABO blood

typing system there are four
different kinds of blood types:
A, B, AB or O (null).

 
 Blood Types

http://www.bloodbook.com/world-abo.html
AB0 blood grouping system
Blood group A
If you belong to the blood
group A, you have A
               antigens on the surface of
your RBCs and B
antibodies in your blood
plasma.

Blood group B
               If you belong to the blood
group B, you have B
antigens on the surface of
your RBCs and A
 antibodies in your blood
plasma.
              
Blood group AB

               If you belong to the blood group

AB, you have both A and B
antigens on the surface of your
RBCs and no A or B antibodies
at all in your blood plasma.
              
 

Blood group O
If you belong to the blood group O
(null), you have neither A or B
antigens on the surface of your RBCs
but you have both A and B antibodies
in your blood plasma.
Why do individuals produce antibodies to
antigens they do not have?

• The "A“ and "B" antigens are also produced

by some other plants and microorganisms.
Thus, individuals who do not recognize one or
more of these antigens as "self" will produce
antibodies against the plant or microbial
antigens.

• These antibodies will also react with human

antigens of the same kind whether introduced
via a blood transfusion or a tissue graft.
Possible Blood group Genotypes

Parent A B O
Allele
A

O
Possible Blood group Genotypes

Parent A B O
Allele
A AA AB AO

B AB BB BO

O AO BO OO
The ABO blood groups

• The most important in assuring a safe blood transfusion.

• The table shows the four ABO phenotypes ("blood groups") present
in the human population and the genotypes that give rise to them.

Blood Antigens
Antibodies in Serum Genotypes
Group on RBCs

A A Anti-B AA or AO
B B Anti-A BB or BO
AB A and B Neither AB
O Neither Anti-A and anti-B OO
Why group A blood must never be
given to a group B person?  
 
 
 
                        
                      
                     
                 
                        
                      
                 
                         

                         

                                 

Giving someone blood from the wrong ABO

 

 
group could be fatal.
                               
                            

                          
     

                                 
                 

The anti-A antibodies in group B attack group

A cells and vice versa.
 The Rhesus (Rh) System

Well, it gets more complicated here, because there's

another antigen to be considered - the Rh antigen.

Some of us have it, some of us don't.

If it is present, the blood is RhD positive, if not it's RhD

negative.

So, for example, some people in group A will have it, and
will therefore be classed as A+ (or A positive).

While the ones that don't, are A- (or A negative).

And so it goes for groups B, AB and O.

 The Rhesus (Rh) System (Cont.)

• Rh antigens are transmembrane proteins with loops

exposed at the surface of red blood cells.

• They appear to be used for the transport of carbon

dioxide and/or ammonia across the plasma membrane.

• They are named for the rhesus monkey in which they

were first discovered.

• RBCs that are "Rh positive" express the antigen

designated D.

• 85% of the population is RhD positive, the other 15% of

the population is running around with RhD negative
blood.
 Rh Blood Group and Rh Incompatibility
A person with Rh- blood does not have Rh
antibodies naturally in the blood plasma

Blood Alleles
Genotype
Type Produced

RR R
Rh positive
Rr R or r

Rh negative rr r
Do you know which blood group you
belong to?

According to above
blood grouping systems,
you can belong to either
of following 8 blood
groups:
• A person with Rh- blood can develop Rh antibodies
in the blood plasma if he or she receives blood from a
person with Rh+ blood, whose Rh antigens can trigger
the production of Rh antibodies.

                                                                            

•A person with Rh+ blood can receive blood from a

person with Rh- blood without any problems.
Why is an Rh incompatibility so dangerous
when ABO incompatibility is not during
pregnancy?

• Most anti-A or anti-B antibodies are of the IgM

class (large molecules) and these do not cross the
placenta.

•In fact, an Rh−/type O mother carrying an

Rh+/type A, B, or AB foetus is resistant to
sensitisation to the Rh antigen.

•Her anti-A and anti-B antibodies destroy any foetal

cells that enter her blood before they can elicit anti-
Rh antibodies in her.
Rh incompatibility during pregnancy (cont.)

•This phenomenon has led to an effective

preventive measure to avoid Rh sensitisation.

•Shortly after each birth of an Rh+ baby, the

mother is given an injection of anti-Rh
antibodies (or Rhogam).

•These passively acquired antibodies destroy

any foetal cells that got into her circulation
before they can elicit an active immune
response in her.
 The ABO Blood Group System

                                                                                                                        

   Laboratory  Determination of the

ABO System
                                                                      
Several methods for testing the ABO group of an
individual exist. The most common method is:

Serology: This is a direct detection of the ABO

antigens. It is the main method used in blood
transfusion centres and hospital blood banks.

This form of testing involves two components:

a) Antibodies that are specific at detecting a

particular ABO antigen on RBCs.
         
b) Cells that are of a known ABO group that
are agglutinated by the naturally occurring
antibodies in the person's serum.
• Illustration of the forward and reverse
grouping reaction patterns of the ABO
groups using a blood group tile

http://www.bh.rmit.edu.au/mls/subjects/abo/resources/genetics1.htm
When RBCs carrying one or both antigens are exposed to the
corresponding antibodies, they agglutinate; that is, clump
together. People usually have antibodies against those red cell
antigens that they lack.

Human RBC before (left) and after (right) adding serum

containing anti-A antibodies. The agglutination reaction
reveals the presence of the A antigen on the surface of the
cells.

                                         

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet
                                          

/BiologyPages/B/BloodGroups.html    
Blood transfusions – who can
receive blood from
whom?
              
People with blood group O
are called "universal
donors" and people with
 
blood group AB are called
"universal receivers."
Blood Antigens Antibodies Can give Can
Group blood to receive
blood from

AB

O
Blood Antigens Antibodies Can give Can
Group blood to receive
blood from

AB A and B None AB AB, A, B, O

A A B A and AB A and O

B B A B and AB B and O

O None A and B AB, A, B, O O