How does the ABO antibody produced?

[Yanxia]

I have met several newborn ,they have their own ABO antibody, but they only born in 5 or less than 5 days, why?

I have asked the mother's ABO type to exclude the mother's antibody passed to the baby's blood stream.

[Mabel Adams]

Do you mean that you have seen, say, a 5 day old baby that is group O and has the expected reverse antibodies, but her mother is Group A so could only pass on the anti-B to the baby? Or maybe the baby is B and the mom AB? Are you testing cord serum/plasma?

[Yanxia]

Mabel, just as you say: the mother is A and the baby is O , and the baby has 4+anti-A and anti-B.

I am not test the cord blood , it is after birth, I test the baby's vein blood.

[Liz]

Newborns form their antibodies at birth once they are exposed to Bacteria and food that has epitopes similar to A and B antigens, these then cross react with A and B antigens, thus the name naturally occuring as opposed to "immune". Yes, at 5 days we may see weak anti A and B, but some may have them stronger than others.

[Yanxia]

Newborns form their antibodies at birth once they are exposed to Bacteria and food that has epitopes similar to A and B antigens, these then cross react with A and B antigens, thus the name naturally occuring as opposed to "immune". Yes, at 5 days we may see weak anti A and B, but some may have them stronger than others.

Liz, I think 5 days is too quick to produce immunity.

[StevenB]

Mollison (Blood Transfusion in Clinical Medicine,11th edition, 2005) refers to a few studies that reported the presence of either anti-A or anti-B in the cord sera that were not of maternal origin. In one report, this occured in 8 of 192 samples studied, 7 of 33 in another report and 8 out of 44 in the last. Mollison states "they are IgM, synthesized by the fetus".

So, while what you are seeing is unusual, it clearly is not unprecedented.

Edited August 17, 2012 by StevenB

[Malcolm Needs ☆]

Mollison (Blood Transfusion in Clinical Medicine,11th edition, 2005) refers to a few studies that reported the presence of either anti-A or anti-B in the cord sera that were not of maternal origin. In one report, this occured in 8 of 192 samples studied, 7 of 33 in another report and 8 out of 44 in the last. Mollison states "they are IgM, synthesized by the fetus".

So, while what you are seeing is unusual, it clearly is not unprecedented.

Agreed StevenB, and it has also been shown that the Gm and Km groups of these antibodies are from the baby, and not from the mother.

[Yanxia]

Thanks StevenB and Malcolm, would you kindly tell me the title of this paper?

[Yanxia]

Would somebody kindly tell me the title of this paper?

And I think this fingding can't been explained by the traditonal out body antigen immune to produce anti-A and anti-B theory, what do you think?

[Malcolm Needs ☆]

Thanks StevenB and Malcolm, would you kindly tell me the title of this paper?

Hi shily,

Sorry to take so long to reply, but I have been away from home and work for two weeks on holiday.

Klein HG, Anstee DJ. Mollison's Blood Transfusion in Clinical Medicine. 11th edition, 2005. Blackwell Publishing, Chapter 4, page 123, section headed "Developmednt of Anti-A and Anti-B". This cites several studies that show that ABO antibodies can be developed in foetal life.

[Yanxia]

Thank you very much, Malcolm.

I searched this book, and I will get it in the future.

I am very urgent to know if this book has some guess or conclusion why the foetal produce their own antibodies, please help me again.

I am very sorry for disturbing your holiday, sorry and thank you .

[Malcolm Needs ☆]

Thank you very much, Malcolm.

I searched this book, and I will get it in the future.

I am very urgent to know if this book has some guess or conclusion why the foetal produce their own antibodies, please help me again.

I am very sorry for disturbing your holiday, sorry and thank you .

No problem shily; I'm back to work tomorrow anyway.

I should tell you that Dave Anstee tells me that the 12th edition is due out very soon, so it may be worthwhile waiting until that is published.

I haven't actually read the original papers that are quoted in this book - most of them were published in the mid to late 1960's, but, from the work of George Springer and his chickens, it is obvious that the foetus MUST have been exposed to the A and/or B antigen (or an A-like and/or B-like antigen) in utero. Whether these antigenic stimuli were derived from the mother or from bacteria, I don't know.

[Sadique.Kareem]

I just read the referance in mollison and now i am scared because in our practice we never cared for the blood type when issuing platelets for new borns. Now if one of my patient has any of these anti A or B ( which i will never know as its not the practrice to do reverse type) and if i give type non specific platelets which usually have few RBCs it may end up in hemolysis of tranfuse RBCs which may be fatal considering the size and volume of new born. TO avoid this minor cross matching would be the only way......