Red cell antigens

Habibi B, Basty R, Chodez S, Prunat A. Thiopental-related immune hemolytic anemia and renal failure. Specific involvement of red-cell antigen I. N Engl J Med 1985 312(6) 353-5. 

Bilirubin is measured in amniotic fluid to aid in the assessment of fetal risk in rhesus incompatibility. Incompatible red cell antigens can enter the maternal circulation cither from the fetus at the time of delivery or. rarely, because of incompatible blood transfusion specific red cell antibodies are stimulated in the mother. If. as in rhesus disease, the antibodies arc IgG, they cross the placenta and react with specific antigens on the fetal red cell membrane causing haemolysis (Fig.. 3). This is unusual in a first... 

Contamination of blood products with lymphocytes can lead to transfusion-induced reactions ranging from a mild fever to severe reactions such as alloimmunization and graft versus host disease (GvHD), in which the transfused lymphocytes (graft) survive the defensive immune reaction of the patient (host) and start a reaction which destroys the cells of the host. The patient also may develop an immune response to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type of the graft s cells and reject all platelet transfusions that do not match their own HLA system. The HLA system, found on blood platelets and lymphocytes, is more compHcated than, but similar to, the ABO blood group system of red cells. 

KELL blood group antigen is a plasma membrane protein isolated from red cells homologous to zinc-binding glycoproteins with neutral endopeptidase activity. 

The direct Coombs test detects the presence of antibodies on red cells, whereas the indirect test detects the presence of circulating antibodies to antigens present on red cells. 

Apart from antibodies detected by (a) the schizont-infected red cell agglutination test, (b) the agglutination of sporozoites, (c) complement fixation, (d) passive hemagglutination and by the direct and indirect immunofluorescent methods [for review, see reference (V4)], malarial antibodies have also been detected by malarial antigens prepared from heavily infected human placenta, infected human brain, and short-term in vivo cultures of cells from heavily parasitized subjects (Wll) (see Tables 7 and 8). 

Nomenclature of whole blood Structure of antigen in red cells Agglutinin in serum... 

IgG or IgM antibodies direct the immune response toward the antigen located on a cell (e.g., a red blood cell or thrombocyte). Macrophages, NK cells, and neutrophils are recruited by the antibodies to the site of the antigen on the cell surface and destroy the cell by phagocytosis or lysis. Additionally, complement activation will damage the cell (Fig. 6.32). The result, for example, where red cells are the targets is hemolytic anemia. 

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