BLOOD GROUPS

AND
INHERITANCE
BLOOD TYPES – DR. KARL LANDSTEINER

 There are various types of red blood cell

antigens - the ABO and rhesus types are the
most important.
 By the time a child is six months old, he will
have developed antibodies naturally against
the antigens his red blood cells lack.
BLOOD TYPE IS GENETIC
 The A and B antigen (protein) molecules on the
surface of red blood cells are produced are
encoded by different versions, or alleles, of the
same gene: A, B and O
 A allele produces A antigen
 B allele produces B antigen
 O allele does not produce any surface antigen.
 A and B are co dominant and O is recessive to
both A and B.
 ONE GENE – MULTIPLE ALLELES
GENES COME FROM PARENTS

 Two copies of the gene are inherited, one from

each parent.
POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS OF ALLELES WHICH PRODUCE
THE FOLLOWING BLOOD TYPES
USING A PUNNETT SQUARE TO FIND OUT THE BLOOD
TYPE

Reference:
www.learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/traits/blood/
KAREN REID SAYS:
AUGUST 9, 2012 AT 6:33 PM

 I am a female and my blood group is O+ ..my

husband is blood group is O – ..our first child is
O – AND our second child is B – .. what does
this mean? do you think they gave me the
wrong baby at the time of the birth? this child is
24 years old and is pregnant and has just been
told what her blood group is.. I am very
concerned .. I need to know what to do next
 Nigel Purchon says:
 August 9, 2012 at 8:08 pm
 I am not a doctor of medicine and therefore cannot give
medical advice. However, I don’t think that you should
do anything.
 Possibilities:
a) there has been a mistake testing one or more of
these blood groups. If you needed a blood transfusion
the medics should re-test your blood group. ~ don’t do
anything.
b) there has been a mutation; the genotype in an ovary
or testis has the Ib allele, but after a mutation the
somatic cells don’t have this allele. ~ don’t do anything.
c) wrong baby ~ if this happened 24 years ago, it is a bit
late to get twisted up about it now: don’t do anything
unless you want to create more problems trying to solve
a problem that does not exist.