Blood Group and Immunology

Abstract

Blood group serology showed a great advancement at the beginning of the 1900s, with the discovery of ABO blood group system by Karl Landsteiner. There are four common blood groups in the ABO system: A, B, AB, and O. At a later stage, it was found that A group has two subgroups A1 and A2. With further advancement, Bombay and Para Bombay groups were discovered which are of importance in transfusion medicine. Rh blood group system was first described in the year 1940 by immunohematologist, Philip Levine, and physician, Rufus Stetson. Rh blood group is a highly complex system with more than 110 antigens identified, but in routine blood bank practice, only 5 basic antigens are of importance. The presence of Rh (D) antigen on red cells confers Rh positivity, and people who lack Rh (D) antigen are Rh negative. Exposure of Rh-negative individuals to even small amounts of Rh-positive cells, by either transfusion or pregnancy, can result in the production of Rh antibodies mainly of (IgG) type, which can cause hemolytic disease of the newborn. Rh antigen has three different methods of nomenclatures. They are Fisher–Race, Weiner, and Rosenfield. The most commonly accepted is Fisher–Race.