If you don’t have it, you’re Rh negative. If you have the D protein on your red blood cells, you’re Rh positive. The Rh blood group system includes around 50 different red blood cell antigens, but the most important one is a protein called D. In this case, it’s an antigen in a blood group system called the Rh (originally called Rhesus) system. Like A, B and O, the positive or negative component of a person’s blood type refers to a molecule which is either present or absent on the surface of their red blood cells. Simple.īut what about the positive (or negative) bit? Why (and I’m not talking happy thoughts here) B positive? I’m B type blood because I have B antigens on my red blood cells. Later transfusion experiments used milk, water and even oil as blood substitutes!) (Fun fact: the first attempt at a blood transfusion was probably in the 1600s, when an English physician infused a wounded soldier with sheep’s blood. If you have AB positive blood, you’re a ‘universal recipient’ (you can safely receive any type of blood).īefore blood types were discovered in 1900 by the Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner (for which he was later awarded the Nobel Prize), early attempts at blood transfusions, often using incompatible blood, frequently ended in disaster. This is why it’s known as the ‘universal donor’. In fact, because it has no A or B antigens at all, O (negative) blood can be donated to anyone, regardless of blood type. What about if the situation is reversed? Could my stepdad donate his blood to me? Because his O type blood doesn’t have any A or B antigens, it could be safely introduced into my body-it has no unfamiliar antigens for my system to identify as intruders. The result could be kidney failure and, potentially, death. But if he needed a larger-scale transfusion, his kidneys might not be able to cope. If only small amounts of my blood were introduced into my stepdad’s system, this wouldn’t necessarily be a problem, as the rejected blood would be filtered out by his kidneys. If my cells, with their B antigens, were introduced into his body, his immune system would identify them as foreign, producing antibodies to provide immunity against them.Īntibodies attack by binding to the foreign antigens, making the red blood cells clump together. What would happen if he received my B type blood? Having O type blood, remember, means that he has no A or B antigens on the surface of his red blood cells. Say, my stepdad, who has O-type blood, needed a blood transfusion. Image source: World Bank Photo Collection / Flickr. Getting the wrong type of blood in a transfusion can have dangerous consequences. Alarm bells will start ringing (figuratively speaking), your immune system will go into attack mode, and antibodies will be produced to fight off the unfamiliar visitors. That’s because if an antigen is introduced into your body which it doesn’t already have, rather than welcoming it with open arms, your system will identify it as an intruder. O has both A and B antibody in the plasma.Īll this means that it’s really important that, if you happen to need a blood transfusion, you get the right type.AB has neither A or B antibody in the plasma.B type blood has anti-A antibody in the plasma.
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