Rh Factor and ABO Blood Type System:
- The Rh Factor first was found in the Rhesus monkeys, which is why today it is known as the “Rh” Factor. This factor does not affect humans in any way and will not affect the lifestyle of anyone. The ABO Blood Type System was first created in 1900 and in 1901 when Karl Landsteiner, at the University of Vienna, was experimenting with blood. He was in the process of learning about blood transfusions. He was puzzled as to why sometimes these transfusions cause people to die and why at other times it saves peoples lives. So, after many years of experimenting and studying, he created the ABO Blood Type System to explain this phenomenon. In 1930, Landsteiner received a Nobel Peace Prize in honor of his contribution to medical history and for his discovery of various blood types.
- Type A Blood: A antigen and B antibody
- Type B Blood: B antigen and A antibody
- Type AB Blood: A and B antigens, but no antibodies
- Type O Blood: no antigens, but both A and B antibodies
After researched for many years, he concluded that all humans and some relative primates can be typed for the ABO Blood Type System because there are four main blood types, A, B, AB, and O. In each person’s blood, there is a possible composition of either A or B antigens, and either A or B antibodies. The reason some people were rejecting the blood was because these antibodies cannot mix. If they do, the current blood in the body will reject the new blood and because the blood cells are fighting off the new blood, health effects occur because of the change in blood type. Let’s take a look at each individual blood type:
Antigens are proteins in the blood and fight off other antigens if they are exposed to them. The original proteins on the red blood cells attack the alien proteins and try to kill them so that the blood does not get infected or has any other further complications. After looking at the blood types above, you can see that the different blood types are unique and have differing characteristics. You may wonder if because these blood types have different parts, can they mix? The answer to that is yes, sometimes, but not all of the time. Let’s look at which types of blood can mix with others:
1. A can give to A, AB
2. B can give to B, AB
3.AB can give to only AB
4. O can give to A, B, AB, and O
Also, it is important to realize that the AB blood type is co-dominant. Do you know what it means to be co-dominant? It means that both traits in the genotype/phenotype are actively there and both show up. Let me explain this for you:
Since Type AB has both antigens, it has characteristics from both A and B blood types. Both of these characteristics show up in the phenotype (the blood type). When you see that O is recessive, that means that to have type O blood, you have to inherit two O’s from both of your parents to give you the genotype of OO and giving you type O blood. That is pretty weird knowing that type O blood is most common, but it is the recessive gene! Type O- is considered the Universal Donor and AB+ is considered the Universal Recipient. 37% of all people are O+, the most common blood type, yet only 1% of all people are AB-! This is because the Rh factor is dominant! It is pretty rare if you are negative for the Rh Factor because it overpowers the recessive gene for not having it. You may be wondering what the - and + is all about in the previous few sentences, and that is the Rh Factor!
The Rh Factor, as mentioned in the first paragraph, originated from monkeys! The Rh Factor can cause some crazy things to happen, most commonly is mother-fetus incompatibility. This happens when the mother of an unborn child is Rh negative (dd), but the child is born Rh positive (Dd). This is when the mother’s natural antibodies cross the placenta and destroy fetal red blood cells and can cause the child to have birth defects and serious health problems. Rh blood type incompatibility is actually the leading cause of fatal and potentially fatal blood related problems of newborns. This incompatibility happens when the mother, like previously said, is Rh- and the father is Rh+. The Rh Factor is dominant, so the genotype of a man being Rh+ is either DD or Dd. Referring to the example on the left, you can see that there are different possibilities of the child either having the Rh Factor or not. Even if the father is Dd, many doctors jump to the conclusion that there will be incompatibility with the mother and the unborn child because the mother is negative for the Rh Factor.
To conclude, generally speaking the Rh Factor is harmless until a couple with differing Rh’s are thinking about starting a family. Usually in the first birth the child will not be incompatible with his/her mother, but in few occasions that is the case.
1. A can give to A, AB
2. B can give to B, AB
3.AB can give to only AB
4. O can give to A, B, AB, and O
Also, it is important to realize that the AB blood type is co-dominant. Do you know what it means to be co-dominant? It means that both traits in the genotype/phenotype are actively there and both show up. Let me explain this for you:
- Type A is dominant over O
- Type B is dominant over O
- Type AB is co-dominant and is dominant over A, B, and O
- Type O is recessive and is not dominant over any blood type.
Since Type AB has both antigens, it has characteristics from both A and B blood types. Both of these characteristics show up in the phenotype (the blood type). When you see that O is recessive, that means that to have type O blood, you have to inherit two O’s from both of your parents to give you the genotype of OO and giving you type O blood. That is pretty weird knowing that type O blood is most common, but it is the recessive gene! Type O- is considered the Universal Donor and AB+ is considered the Universal Recipient. 37% of all people are O+, the most common blood type, yet only 1% of all people are AB-! This is because the Rh factor is dominant! It is pretty rare if you are negative for the Rh Factor because it overpowers the recessive gene for not having it. You may be wondering what the - and + is all about in the previous few sentences, and that is the Rh Factor!
The Rh Factor, as mentioned in the first paragraph, originated from monkeys! The Rh Factor can cause some crazy things to happen, most commonly is mother-fetus incompatibility. This happens when the mother of an unborn child is Rh negative (dd), but the child is born Rh positive (Dd). This is when the mother’s natural antibodies cross the placenta and destroy fetal red blood cells and can cause the child to have birth defects and serious health problems. Rh blood type incompatibility is actually the leading cause of fatal and potentially fatal blood related problems of newborns. This incompatibility happens when the mother, like previously said, is Rh- and the father is Rh+. The Rh Factor is dominant, so the genotype of a man being Rh+ is either DD or Dd. Referring to the example on the left, you can see that there are different possibilities of the child either having the Rh Factor or not. Even if the father is Dd, many doctors jump to the conclusion that there will be incompatibility with the mother and the unborn child because the mother is negative for the Rh Factor.
To conclude, generally speaking the Rh Factor is harmless until a couple with differing Rh’s are thinking about starting a family. Usually in the first birth the child will not be incompatible with his/her mother, but in few occasions that is the case.
Important Points:
- if a man and women have a baby, they would have a better chance of their baby being born without a defect than if they were both positive. If they were both positive then they have a 13% chance of having a defected baby but these days it is only 1% because we have developed medicine for it.
- the blood types are A, B, AB, O
- O- is universal donor
- AB+ is universal recipient
- Rh- and Rh+ do not mix well
- Rh- and Rh- do not mix well either
Here is a video explaining all about Rh and ABO Blood Types! Enjoy!