Scientists have discovered a rare blood type that only one person in the world currently has
French scientists have identified a new extremely rare blood group, which is currently recorded in only one person in the world. About this informsAgence France-Presse.
This unique group, called “Guada-Negative”, was discovered in a 68-year-old resident of the island of Guadalupe. Doctors first noticed the unusual indicators of her blood back in 2011 in Paris during the preparation of a woman for surgery. Then standard tests could not determine the blood group. Only with the advent of new genetic methods, eight years later, scientists again took up research.
After sequencing the patient’s complete genome, they discovered a mutation in the PIGZ gene that interferes with the attachment of specific proteins to the surface of red blood cells. As a result, the woman turned out to be the only one in the world whose blood is compatible only with her own. The new group was officially recognized by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) and included in its registry as the 48th.
As of today, there are more than 45 officially recognized blood group systems in the world, although only the ABO system and the Rhesus factor are usually used for transfusions. However, rare phenotypes are critical in cases of complex or individually sensitive transfusions.
Scientists plan to continue the research and check the possible presence of a similar phenotype among other residents of Guadeloupe. Since blood groups are inherited, it is possible that similar cases may still be discovered. According to biologist Thierry Peyrard, such discoveries not only expand the knowledge of human biology, but also contribute to the improvement of medical care for patients with extremely rare blood types.
