title: Bv: a distinct category of B sub-group among Chinese blood donors in Hong Kong.
abstract: During the period 1984-1989, a total of 46 examples of Bv phenotype were encountered out of a total of 567,210 donors, giving an incidence of 1 in 12,330 among the Chinese in Hong Kong. The Bv determinant corresponds to the portion of the B antigen that is present on rabbit red cells, and gives a negative reaction with polyclonal anti-B reagents absorbed with rabbit red cells that still react with B3. Some potent monoclonal anti-B reagents confirm the absence of a B epitope from Bv red cells even by adsorption and elution techniques. The failure of some monoclonal anti-B reagents to detect Bv demonstrates the need to select or blend monoclonal anti-B reagents for use in typing Oriental bloods. Cell-conversion techniques failed to convert O cells to B cells using Bv serum with the appropriate substrate, whereas sera from most of the other B variants were capable of doing so. The Bv phenotype, therefore, represents a distinct category of B subgroups that is easily distinguishable from B3 and other B variants.
authors.affiliation: Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Voak
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chua
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001782:Blood Donors; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D011817:Rabbits / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes