The EMM negative blood group was identified during a blood test. (Representative Photo)
Doctors in Gujarat have identified a rare blood group in a 65-year-old man who needed blood ahead of the heart surgery. The man was could not find blood matching his blood group, which led the doctors to carry out some tests on his samples. They were surprised when the results showed that the man is carrying the 'EMM negative' blood group - the ninth such case across the globe. The discovery was made last year when the man from Rajkot came to a hospital for surgery.
In general, there are four types of blood groups which are popular - A, B, O and AB. The presence of rare 'EMM negative' blood group in the man was confirmed earlier this month.
Here's everything you need to know about the EMM blood group:
- People with EMM negative blood group can't donate blood to anyone. They neither can accept blood from anyone.
- The rare blood group was detected at Lok Samarpan Raktadan Kendra and Research Centre in Surat. Dr Sanmukh Joshi, who had made the discovery, told NDTV.com that the patient was referred from Prathma Blood Bank in Ahmadabad.
- The lab testing of the blood sample collected from his body was quite different and strange from the existing groups.
- Dr Joshi said that no blood was found matching due to some antibody present in his plasma. So, he decided to send the samples of the man and his family to New York for further testing.
- "In further collaboration with the scientist at Harvard Medical School in the USA, the patient was typed EMM negative and it was deliberated at the International Society of Blood Transfusion and recognised and assigned at the new blood group system called EMM with symbol EMM042," he added.
- According to OMIM, an online catalogue of human genes and genetic disorders, EMM has been designated the 42nd blood group system.
- People with this blood group have an EMM phenotype due to homozygous loss-of-function mutations in the PIGG gene, said the OMIM article. They have naturally occurring anti-EMM antibodies that are identified during routine blood type and crossing.
- These antibodies have the potential to cause acute hemolytic transfusion reactions, the article further said.