Researchers have identified an extremely rare new type of human blood in tests carried out at a hospital in Thailand, bringing the number of blood variants known to date to 49. The discovery raises new questions in the field of hematology and shows that the blood group classification system is much more complex than previously thought.
The new type, called B(A), has been detected in only three people – one patient and two donors – and presents an unusual combination: the predominance of type B antigens, along with traces of A antigens.
Specialists say that this peculiarity is the result of multiple genetic mutations, identified at the level of four different alleles, according to aol.
The discovery was published in the journal Transfusion and Apheresis Science.
According to the cited source, the researchers pointed out that the differences observed between donors and patients, even within the same population, can be influenced by genetic factors, but also by health status or medical treatments.
The ABO blood group system, established as early as 1901 by Karl Landsteiner, remains the basis of human blood classification. It is based on the presence or absence of antigens A and B, while the Rh factor determines the positivity or negation of the group.
In addition to common groups, medicine also knows extremely rare variants.
So-called “golden blood” (complete Rh negative) has been identified in only a few dozen people globally, and other types, such as Gwada negative, are found in only one known individual.
According to the researchers, such findings suggest that the genetic diversity of human blood is still incompletely understood, and new rare types may be identified in the future.
