Hematology

Blood Chimerism: Erythrocyte Antigen Phenotyping

What is blood chimerism, why does a mixed erythrocyte population occur, and how does it manifest in immunohematological analysis on a gel card.

Gel card: mixed erythrocyte agglutination in blood chimerism
Gel card: mixed erythrocyte agglutination in blood chimerism

🩸 Blood Chimeras.

🙏 Photo kindly provided by KDL biologist Yulia Guseva, GBUZ Belorechenskaya CRH.

📖 Background information: Blood chimeras are a condition in which two populations of erythrocytes, differing in blood group or other antigens, are present in the bloodstream of one organism. This phenomenon can arise as a result of the exchange of blood cells between fetuses during multiple pregnancies, after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or blood transfusion. The presence of chimeric populations is important to consider when interpreting laboratory test results and selecting donor blood.