Blood Group and

its clinical
importance

Presented
Anshu Patel (Roll no –32)

Presented by:-
Anshika Maurya
(31)
Anshu Patel (32)
 Introduction

Blood Grouping System

Landsteiner Law
Content Classical ABO Blood Grouping
System

Rhesus Blood Grouping System

Clinical
Importance
 Introduction
The membrane of human RBCs contains a
variety of blood group specific antigens, also
called agglutinogens. More than 30 such
antigens are known but a few of them are of
practical significance. These antigens enable
the blood group of different individuals to be
differentiated.

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The chief blood groups are:-

I. Classical 'ABO ' blood group.

II. Rhesus (Rh) blood group.
III. M and N blood group.
CLASSICAL 'ABO' BLOOD GROUPS :-

The four main blood types in the ABO system are:-

Type A: Individuals with type A blood have A antigens on the surface of their red blood cells and anti-B
antibodies in their plasma.

Type B: Individuals with type B blood have B antigens on the surface of their red blood cells and anti-A
antibodies in their plasma.

Type AB: Individuals with type AB blood have both A and B antigens on the surface of their red blood cells
and no anti-A or anti-B antibodies in their plasma. AB is considered the universal recipient because they can
receive blood from individuals with A, B, or O blood types.

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• Type O: Type O is considered the universal
donor because individuals with type O blood
can donate to individuals with any blood
type.

• The inheritance of ABO blood types is

determined by the combination of genes
received from both parents. The ABO gene
has three main alleles: A, B, and O. The
possible combinations of these alleles
determine an individual's ABO blood type.

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 Landsteiner's Law:

• If an agglutinogen is present in the RBCs of an individual , the corresponding

agglutinin must be absent from the plasma.

• If the agglutinogen is absent in the individual RBCs, the corresponding agglutinin

must be present in the plasma.

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DETERMINATION OF CLASSICAL BLOOD GROUPS:

These can be determined by

mixing a drop of isotonic saline
suspension of subject's RBCs with
a drop of serum A and serum B
separately on a glass slide; and
seeing whether agglutination
occurs or not.
 INHERITANCE OF CLASSICAL 'ABO'
BLOOD GROUPS

• The Agglutinogen A and B are inherited as Mendelian dominant and first appear in the sixth
week of foetal life.
• Their concentration at birth is 1 /5 th the adult level and it progressively rises during puberty
and adolescence.
• Group specific substances A and B are not limited to the RBCs but are also found in many
organs like salivary g lands and pancreas(++); kidney, urine, liver and lungs (+); testes,
semen and amniotic fluid.
• The specific agglutinins are present in the plasma and appear at 10th day, rise to peak at 10
years; and then decline.
• The 4 classical ABO blood groups depend on 3 genes,named after the corresponding factor
A, B and 0. Each person's blood group is determined by the two genes which he receives
from each parent.
Fig: Inheritance of blood
groups.
 RHESUS (Rh) BLOOD GROUP:

• Discovered by Landsteiner and Weiner in 1940.

• RBCs of Rhesus monkeys (monkeys with red ischial callosity) when injected into rabbits, the
rabbits respond to the presence of an antigen in these cells by forming an antibody which
agglutinates Rhesus RBC.

• If the immunized rabbit 's serum is tested against human RBCs, agglutination occurs in 85%
of people , these are called Rh '+' (positive) and their serum contains no Rh antibody.No
agglutination occurs in 15%, these are called Rh '-’ (negative) and their se rum also contains
no Rh antibody.

• The Rh blood group system has not been detected in tissues other than RBCs.
• The Rh antigen is called 'D', and its antibody is called anti-
D.

• In Rh system, Rh antibodies are of the IgG type and

antigen-antibody reaction occurs best at the body
temperature. Therefore, the Rh antibodies are called wann
antibodies.

• These antibodies being IgG type can cross the placenta.

• Blood group antigens are the results of the action of genes
which are present in the chromosomes.
• The gene corresponding to the antigen D is also called D;
when D is absent from a chromosome, its place is occupied
by the alternate form (Allelomorplt) called 'd’.
• The Rh gene is inherited from both the father and the
mother
• If gene D is carried by both sperm and ovum the resulting
gene composition (genotype) of the offspring is DD.
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• If the gametes carry D and d respectively the result is
Dd.
• If both gametes carry d the result is dd.
• DD (homozygous) and Dd (heterozygous) are both Rh
positive; dd (homozygous) is Rh negative. Of 85% Rh
positive 35% are DD, 48% Dd and 2% have some
othergenotype containing D.
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• The production of anti-D antibodies in these Rh negative individuals may
be evoked by:-

1. transfusion with Rh positive blood i.e. D-positive RBCs (0.5 mL may be sufficient).

2. entrance of D-positive RBCs from Rh positive foetus in to the maternal circulation of Rh negative
mother.
 Rh factor and hemolytic disease:
• The child of a Rh negative mother (genotype dd) and Rh positive father (genotype DD) must be
Rh positive (Dd). If Rh positive father is Dd the offspring may be Rh positive (Dd) or Rh
negative (dd).
• It mother is Rh negative and foetus, is Rh positive, serious complications may occur. RBCs
containing 'D’ antigen may pass the placenta from the foetus to the mother, either during
pregnancy or small amount of foetal blood leaks into maternal circulation at the time of
delivery. The changes
• The mother responds by forming anti-D which returns to foetal circulation and tends to destroy
foetal RBCs. The degree of damage done to the foetus depends on the magnitude of maternal
anti-D response and the ability of maternal Rh antibodies to cross the placentafetal

• The changes in the foetus are termed HemolyticDisease, because, they are due to the destruction
of RBCs by maternal anti-D.
 summary

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Thank you