This Indian woman has a blood group never seen before
What's the story
A team of researchers at the Rotary TTK Blood Centre in Bengaluru has identified a new blood group in a 38-year-old woman. The International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in Bristol, UK, confirmed the finding after months of extensive research and molecular testing. The newly discovered antigen is part of the Cromer (CR) blood group system and has been named 'CRIB' to acknowledge its origin from India.
Complications
What is 'panreactive' blood?
The woman, who was admitted to R.L. Jalappa Hospital and Research Centre in Kolar for cardiac surgery last year, had O+ blood. However, no compatible unit could be found from the hospital's stock of O+ blood. Ankit Mathur, Additional Medical Director at Rotary TTK, said her sample was sent to their Advanced Immunohematology Reference Lab where it was found to be 'Panreactive,' meaning it didn't match with any tested samples.
Surgical success
Family members tested for compatibility
Mathur said they collected blood samples from 20 of the woman's family members, including her children, but none matched. Despite this challenge, her surgery and recovery were managed smoothly without any blood transfusions. Mathur explained that if she needs a transfusion in the future, an autologous transfusion might be required where her own blood would be used for surgery.
Confirmation
Blood samples sent to UK for testing
The blood samples of the patient and her family were sent to IBGRL, Bristol. After 10 months of testing, they confirmed that she has a never-before-seen blood group antigen. Soumee Banerjee, a Consultant (Transfusion Medicine) at Rotary TTK, said it was a new antigen within the CR blood group system.
Antigen naming
First person with this antigen
The new blood group antigen was officially called CRIB at the 35th Regional Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) in Milan. Banerjee said this makes the Bengaluru woman the first person in the world to have this antigen.