65-Year-Old Gujarat Man Detected With India's First And World's Rarest Blood Group

The rarest blood group in the world has been detected for the first time in India. In a 65-year-old Gujarati man with a heart disease, a unique blood type identified as EMM negative has been detected. This is the first case in India and the eleventh case worldwide. The blood group cannot be classified into the existing groups of "A," "B," "O," or "AB".

The 65-year-old patient, who was receiving care in Ahmedabad after having a heart attack, needed blood for heart surgery, according to Sanmukh Joshi, a physician at the Samarpan Blood Donation Center in Surat. However, the samples were only delivered to the Surat blood donation centre when his blood type could not be identified at the Prathama Laboratory in Ahmedabad.

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After analysis, it was determined that the sample did not belong to any particular group, and the elderly man's blood samples, along with those of his relatives, were sent to America for testing.

The elderly man's blood type was later discovered as EMM, making it the first instance of the rarest blood group in India and the eleventh in the world.

About Blood Groups

Blood groups are classified into four types: A, B, AB, and O. The blood group type is defined by the genes inherited from the parents. There are a total of eight blood types, each of which can be either RhD positive or RhD negative. [1]

What Are Antibodies And Antigens?

Plasma makes for around 60 per cent of the blood. It consists of water in high amounts along with other components like proteins, fats and sugar particles. There are three types of cells found in the blood: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. If we let the blood stand for an hour in a test tube, we will find that the upper portion will be plasma, the bottom will be red blood cells, and the thin white layer in the middle will be white blood cells and platelets.

Antibodies and antigens found in the blood help identify the blood group. Our body's natural defence system or say, white blood cells, creates antibodies, which the immune system uses to recognise and combat foreign substances in the body.

On the other hand, antigens can be detected on the outer layer of red blood cells. They are preventable by immune system attacks; however, antigens of other blood types can cause the defence system of our body to attack them. [2]

Types Of Blood Groups

The primary blood group types include: [3]

Blood group O - has no antigens, but both anti-A and anti-B antibodies in the plasma.
Blood group AB - has both A and B antigens, but no antibodies.
Blood group A - has A antigens on the red blood cells with anti-B antibodies in the plasma.
Blood group B - has B antigens with anti-A antibodies in the plasma.

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What is the EMM Blood Group?

There are more than 376 types of blood group antigens based on biochemical, serological and genetic considerations. The remaining antigens are unassigned and are listed as high incidence (901 series), low incidence antigens (700 series) or collections (200 series).

The blood group type EMM comes under the category of high incidence antigen. It is in the 901 series (901008). The antibody anti-Emm is found in the red blood cells of the blood.

According to the study published in 2021 in the Asian Journal of Transfusion Science, there are around 10 people with this blood group and all of them belong to different nations. [4]