ABH and Lewis antigen and antibody expression after bone marrow transplantation.

We have tested 10 bone marrow transplant donors and recipients for ABH and Lewis antigens and ABH antibodies. Two group A2 recipients stably engrafted with group O marrow produced anti-A1. Small quantities of recipient-type ABH substance were found on the posttransplant erythrocytes in cases where the recipient was a secretor but not in a single nonsecretor recipient. Lewis antigens were always of recipient type. The incidence of graft-versus-host disease and graft rejection were similar in 41 patients who received ABO-mismatched and 61 patients who received ABO-matched grafts.