[Significance of the isoantigen A2 and immune anti-A1 antibodies in transfusiology].

The paper gives data on the frequency of A2 and A2B blood groups in the blood samples of 3590 donors and patients and on the carriage of irregular anti-A1 antibodies. To define the belonging of anti-A1 antibodies to various classes of immunoglobulins, their resistance and temperature optimum, at which the antibodies showed the highest activity, the authors examined the irregular anti-A1 antibodies-containing sera from 43 subjects with A2 and A2B blood groups. The necessity of identifying the carriage of irregular anti-A1 antibodies is determined by the fact that there may be posttransfusion reactions or complications in recipients, the carriers of such antibodies, who are transfused donor red blood cells containing the antigen A1. The risk of the development of such events is particularly great when anti-A1 antibodies are active at 37 degrees C and belong to the IgG class, i.e. they are immune; transfusion to a recipient is carried out during surgery under artificial hypothermia (below 28 degrees C). The red blood cells (A2 or A2B) from a donor having the same group should be selected for recipients having an A2 or A2B blood groups, respectively, and immune anti-A1 antibodies; if the latter are absent, in accordance with the instruction, there may be a selection of other-group donor red blood cells: 0 group red blood cells to recipients with A2 blood group and 0 or B group red blood cells to recipients with A2B blood group. An individual selection should be without fail made for the compatibility of bloods from a donor and a recipient in salt tests (at 4-8, 20-22, and 37 degrees C) and indirect Coombs' test. When plasma components (fresh frozen plasma, native plasma and its concentrate) are transfused to recipients with A2 and A2B blood groups having immune anti-A1 antibodies, one should use the same plasma group--A and AB, respectively.