[Detection of platelet-specific alloantigens in 400 unselected blood donors].

Antibodies against platelet specific alloantigens cause neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, posttransfusion purpura, and they are sometimes found in polytransfused patients. In the last few years, new alloantigens were discovered in addition to the Zw-, Bak-, and Ko-alloantigens. In order to obtain representative data for the frequency of all platelet alloantigens in the European population, we typed 400 blood donors of our institution. No significant differences between our findings and data already published were found for the antigens of the HPA-1, -2, -3, and -5 systems; however, no HPA-4b (Yuka)-positive and no Naka-negative individual was found among the 400 blood donors tested. The Siba and HPA-2b antigens proved to be identical. The 'low-frequency' alloantigen Sra was not identified among the 400 individuals tested.