Korean J Blood Transfus.
2011 Dec;22(3):277-283.
Loss of Red Cell A Antigen in a Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. dearmina@hanmail.net
- 2Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 3Seoul Clinical Laboratories, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
- Red cell antigens, A, B, and H can be weakened or lost especially in patients with hematologic malignancies. We report a 42-year-old female patient with acute myeloid leukemia, who showed loss of A antigen on her red cells. She showed the persistence of leukemia in spite of three cycles of induction chemotherapy. Her ABO blood group showed a discrepancy: the cell type was O and the serum type was A. Adsorption/elution test could not identify the presence of A antigen on her red cells, and the test for A and B transferases was negative. ABO genotyping using PCR/restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing of exons 6 and 7 of the ABO gene demonstrated 467 C>T substitution in exon 7 and confirmed the genotype of A102/O01. She was transfused with leukapheresis products collected from donors with blood group A, but expired of severe sepsis. This is the first Korean case, in which red cell A antigen loss was genetically proven using sequencing, and underscores the necessity of ABO genotyping to solve the ABO discrepancy and to transfuse effectively.