1. DIFFERENT BLOOD GROUPS
AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

2. HISTORY
• KARL LANDSTEINER DISCOVERED ABO BLOOD
GROUP SYSTEM IN 1901
• DISCOVERED RH FACTOR IN 1930 ALONG
WITH ALEXANDER S. WIENER

3. LANDSTEINERS RULE
• If an antigen /agglutinogen is present on the red cell membrane of
an individual, the corresponding antibody/agglutinin will be absent
in the plasma.
• If an antigen / agglutinogen is absent on the red cell membrane of
an individual, the corresponding antibody / agglutinin will be
present in the plasma.

4. • MAJOR
 ABO
 RH (RHESUS)
• MINOR
 LEWIS
 DUFFY
 KIDD
 KELL
 LUTHERAN

5. ABO BLOOD GROUPING
• 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
your RBCs and A antibodies in your
blood plasma.

6. 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.

8. PRINCIPLE OF BLOOD GROUPING
• Blood grouping is done on the basis of agglutination. Agglutination
means the collection of separate particles like RBCs into clumps or
masses.
• Agglutination occurs if an antigen is mixed with its corresponding
antibody which is called isoagglutinin, i.e. Occurs when A antigen is
mixed with anti-A or when B antigen is mixed with anti-B.
• Almost all normal healthy individuals above 3-6 months of age have
“ naturally occurring antibodys” to the ABO antigens that they lack.
These antibodys termed naturally occurring because they were
thought to arise without antigenic stimulation

9. RBC PRECURSOR STRUCTURE

10. FORMATION OF H ANTIGEN
• The H antigen is the foundation upon
which A and B antigens are built
• A and B genes code for enzymes that
add a sugar to the H antigen
• Immunodominant sugars are present
at the terminal ends of the chains and
confer the ABO antigen.

11. FORMATION OF A ANTIGEN FORMATION OF B ANTIGEN

12. BOMBAY BLOOD GROUP
• RBCs with no H, A, or B antigen (patient types as O)
• Bombay RBCs are NOT agglutinated with anti- A, anti-B, or
anti-H (no antigens present)

13. • Bombay serum has strong anti-A, anti-B and anti-H, agglutinating all
ABO blood groups
• What blood group would you use to transfuse this patient??
• ANOTHER BOMBAY
• Group O RBCs cannot be given because they still have the H antigen
you have to transfuse the patient with blood that contains No H
antigen

14. Rh GROUPING
• It is the most important blood group system after ABO.
• All Rh antigens are controlled by 2 genes – RHD gene– determines
expression of D , RHCE – encodes for C,c and E,e.
• RhD is a strong antigen (immunogenic) and other antigen are less
antigenic than D and are of less clinical significance.
• Therefore , in practice Rh negative and Rh positive depends on
presence of D antigen on the surface of red cells which is detected
by strong anti-D serum. Occasionally, anti – C,E,c,e may develop
in case of pregnancy or transfusion.

15. • Unlike ABO system there is no naturally occuring antibodies against
Rh antigens in Rh negative individuals. Immune ANTIBODYS develop
against Rh antigen after exposure to it following transfusion or
pregnancy.
• It can be detected by enzyme treatment or coombs test(antiglobulin
test)
• SIGNIFICANCE: Rh incompatibility results in haemolytic tranfusion
reaction. Haemolytic disease of newborn.

16. IMPORTANCE OF BLOOD GROUPING AND RH
TYPING
• IN BLOOD TRANSFUSION
• HAEMOLYTIC DISEASE OF NEWBORN.
• PATERNITY DISPUTE
• MEDICOLEGAL ISSUES
• IMMUNOLOGY,GENETICS
• SUSCEPTIBILITY TO VARIOUS DISEASES (BLOOD GROUP O – PEPTIC ULCER, BLOOD
GROUP A – GASTRIC ULCER)

17. MINOR BLOOD GROUPS AND SIGNIFICANCE
1.Duffy blood group- lack glycoprotein DARC, which is receptor for
plasmodium vivax. So this blood group patients are not susceptible to
malaria.
2. Kell blood group- very immunogenic . increased hemolytic disease
of new born.
3.Kidd blood group- increased hemolytic transfusion reaction.

18. UNIVERSAL DONOR AND RECIPIENT
UNIVERSAL DONOR
 GROUP O
 NEITHER A OR B ANTIGENS
UNIVERSAL RECEIPIENT
 GROUP AB
 PATIENT HAS NO ANTI A/ANTI B
PRESENT.
 CANNOT LYSE ANY TRANSFUSED
CELL