Pick 62 - Blood Types

I have Type O-negtive blood. Depending on how you feel about blood transfusions, this can be a blessing or a curse. It is a blessing to be able to donate blood to anyone else regardless of their blood type. The American Red Cross calls me a "universal donor" meaning they can transfuse my blood to anyone regardless of the recipient's blood type. It is also a curse. I can only receive blood from donors having O-negative blood--and we are not in the majority by any means.

The discovery of the ABO blood group system is widely credited to Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner, who identified the O, A, and B blood types in 1900. Understanding the ABO blood group system has enabled safe and predictable transfusions which was not the case prior to 1900.  According the Landsteiner, Type A and Type B blood groups are associated with anti-A and anti-B antibodies.  They are produced in the first years of life by sensitization to food, bacteria, and viruses. 

 Landsteiner originally described the O blood type as type "C", but in parts of Europe it was renamed  as "0" (zero), signifying the lack of the A or B antigens.In persons with Type A or B blood, these antigens or sugars physically exposed on the exterior of red blood cells are unique to each individual--similar to fingerprints. Each person's Immune System uses these markers to distinguish between good cells and bad cells. Any cell that does not have the correct marker is destroyed as a defense against germs and harmful bacteria. This is all well and good until a person with Type B blood receives a transfusion of Type A blood.  The Immune Systems goes on general alert and begins all out war on the "foreign" red cells.  This harsh response, though an adaptive reaction useful against infection, can cause death when large amounts of such cells are encountered after blood transfusion. 

Prior to 1900, all blood was thought to be the same as long as it came from another human being. The success or failure of a blood transfusion was hit or miss depending on the prevalence of blood donors who coincidentally matched the blood type of the recipient.Once the role of antigens was understood, it was not long before scientists determined that the O-negative blood type had no markers. The red cells are, in effect, stealth cells that are ignored by the human Immune System.  That is the hidden value in O-negative blood. However, the down side of that for me is that my Immune System does not expect red cells to carry any antigens. So if I happen to receive a transfusion of Type A or Type B blood I am SOL. Thanks to Dr.Landsteiner, that is very unlikely to happen.

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