Phenotype and Its Significance in Blood Transfusion
A phenotype is an important feature that may be characteristic of certain organisms at different stages of their development. In this case, these parameters are not formed independently, as they are determined by the interaction between the external environment and how the body overgrows itself at the gene level. The phenotype is important in blood transfusion, as its inconsistency can lead to negative consequences for human life and cause dangerous side effects. Therefore, a deep study of this aspect is necessary to improve the ability to manipulate blood.
Blood Group Systems and ABO Classification
In the context of the phenotype, one of the central values is occupied by the blood group system, which has ABO encodings. This is the most versatile and widespread system in use worldwide. This blood group system has four main groups: A, B, AB, and O (Jurk & Shiravand, 2021). However, in addition to these groups, another system provides essential data on what kind of Rh factor the blood cells have. They, respectively, can only be of two types: positive and negative. Another system for standardizing blood can be called the Kell system.
Methods for Determining Blood Phenotypes
Phenotyping is a special procedure that identifies antigens on the surface of red blood cells. A person’s blood type is determined by which blood types are present. This procedure uses various techniques, such as molecular and serological testing and genotyping. The molecular type of testing is DNA amplification and sequencing (Jurk & Shiravand, 2021).
Such manipulations are necessary to determine which genes lie on the surfaces of erythrocytes. It will be possible to determine the blood type depending on where they are located or in the absence of some. The definition of this method of serological testing involves mixing a blood sample with antigens to observe the interaction, based on which it is possible to determine the presence of genes.
The Complexity of the Kell Blood Group System
The Kell blood group system is an original structure designed to be the most complex. It includes 25 antigens, including the key element, which is the determining factor of the blood group in this system. This element is called antigen K and has a high level of immunogenicity (Thornton & Grimsley, 2019). This makes it possible to determine a person’s blood type according to this system, which is important as it can have serious consequences if done incorrectly. When blood is transfused with an incorrectly defined phenotype, antibodies cause transfusion reactions, which can lead to various negative consequences.
Crossmatching and Ensuring Compatibility in Transfusions
Figure 1 shows how phenotypes can interact in the Kell blood group system. Crossmatch is the first way blood typing can be performed according to the Kell system. This allows you to determine whether the donor’s blood suits the patient and whether it can be used for transfusion (Thornton & Grimsley, 2019). Cross-compatibility consists of mixing the whey with donor erythrocytes and their subsequent incubation. It is considered successful if no agglutination occurs when two elements are mixed.
References
Amani, Y., Naffaa, N., Alumran, A. & Alzahrani, F. (2020). Phenotype frequencies of major blood group systems (Rh, Kell, Kidd, Duffy, MNS, P, Lewis, and Lutheran) among blood donors in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Blood Medicine. 11. 59-65. Web.
Jurk, K., & Shiravand, Y. (2021). Platelet phenotyping and function testing in thrombocytopenia. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(5), 1114. Web.
Thornton, N. M., & Grimsley, S. P. (2019). Clinical significance of antibodies to antigens in the ABO, MNS, P1PK, Rh, Lutheran, Kell, Lewis, Duffy, Kidd, Diego, Yt, and Xg blood group systems. Immunohematology, 35(3), 95-101. Web.