[Hemolytic disease in a newborn infant caused by rare maternal anti-erythrocyte antibodies and exchange transfusion with maternal blood frozen earlier].

After a pregnancy of 31 weeks and 4 days a pale baby girl was born with mild oedema, severe anaemia (4.2 mmol/l), increased normoblast count and hyperbilirubinaemia, indicating a blood group antagonism. This was caused by very rare irregular antibodies with the specificity anti-U. These antibodies had been demonstrated in the mother before, after earlier transfusions with erythrocytes. At that time autologous blood was stored at -70 degrees C in the Central Laboratory of the Dutch Red Cross in Amsterdam, because U negative donors are hard to find. One of these units was used for an exchange transfusion given to the baby, who recovered well. This case study underlines the necessity of screening for presence of irregular antibodies during pregnancy. A national registration of patients with antibodies against erythrocytes is recommended.