Type O has no antigens on it's blood cells and it is doing perfectly fine! :)
2006-07-12 10:49:37 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
Red blood cells are made up of all kinds of proteins and glycolipids. Not everyone has exactly the same kind of red blood cells. They named the different "pieces" that could stimulate someone else to make an antibody against as antigens. There are lots and lots of antigens that most people have never heard of. Besides A and B, there's D, C, E, c,e,f,V,K,k,Fy(a), Fy(b),Jk(a)Jk(b), Le(a), Le(b),P, M, N, S, s, Co(a),Co(b),Ge, Lu(a) sorry the list goes on and on.....
There are a rare group of individuals that test as Group O but they are not really O. Group O people have the H antigen - but these people do not have H. They have the Bombay blood type. The incidence is very very rare except on Soap Operas. :)
This is my very simplified version of bloodbank 101.
PS donate blood and don't get transfused unless you really really need it.
2006-07-12 16:59:12 · answer #1 · answered by petlover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
O contains the H antigen and that was what it was called years ago.
2006-07-12 17:53:37 · answer #2 · answered by Chris G 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Type O is a universal donor but it still can be O+ or O-. That means that it has or doesn't have certain proteins. check out wikipedia.com for full explanation
2006-07-12 17:56:45 · answer #3 · answered by Dr.S. 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋