BLOOD GROUPING AND

CROSS MATCHING
 ABO SYSTEM
• Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian scientist discovered the ABO
blood group system in the year 1900.
• In his experiments, he mixed different blood types and noted
that the plasma from certain blood type produced agglutinates
or formed clusters which were caused by the absence of
molecules on red blood cells and resulting in antibodies to
defeat that molecule. He then made a note of the agglutination
and divided the blood types into 4 different groups. For the
discovery of ABO blood group, he was awarded the Nobel
Prize.
 ABO BLOOD GROUP SYSTEM
• The basis of ABO grouping is of two antigens- Antigen A and
Antigen B. The ABO grouping system is classified into four
types based on the presence or absence of antigens on the red
blood cells surface and plasma antibodies.
• Group A – contains antigen A and antibody B.
• Group B –contains antigen B and antibody A.
• Group AB –contains both A and B antigen and no antibodies
(neither A nor B).
• Group O – contains neither A nor B antigen and both
antibodies A and B.
 RH factor
• In addition to antigens of ABO system, the red
cells of humans also contain an additional antigen,
called Rh antigen (or Rh factor).
• There are several varieties of Rh antigen—C, D,
E, c, d, and e—but the D antigen is the most
common, and antigenically, the most potent.
Therefore, Rh +ve persons are also called D +ve
and Rh –ve are called D –ve.
 RH factor
• Persons whose red cells contain this additional
antigen are called “Rh positive” ( Rh +) while those
who lack this antigen are called “Rh negative” (Rh
–).

• However, there are no naturally occurring

antibodies against Rh (D) antigen.
• The Rh (D) antigen is not present in body fluids
and tissues, but only on red cells.
 CROSS MATCHING
• • Cross Matching is a procedure performed prior to a
blood transfusion to determine whether donor blood
is compatible (or incomepatible) with recipient blood.
• Compatibility is determined through matching of
different blood group systems, the most important of
which are the ABO and Rh system, and/or by directly
testing for the presence of antibodies against a sample
of donor tissues or blood.