title: The incidence of anti-Wra and Wra antigen in blood donors and hospital patients.
abstract: A retrospective study of positive 37 degrees C indirect antiglobulin test (IAT) for compatibility following negative antibody screens in a hospital laboratory revealed an unexpectedly high incidence of Wra-incompatible units. Over the course of 1 month 1112 routine patients' samples containing no other atypical antibodies were tested for the presence of anti-Wra. Anti-Wra was found in 88 patients, an incidence of 7.9%. Testing of 5098 healthy blood donor samples found 54 donors positive for anti-Wra, an incidence of 1.06%. A survey of 5253 healthy blood donor samples for Wra antigen found only two Wra-positive samples, suggesting an incidence between 1 in 1000 and < 1 in 10,000. The significance of this finding is discussed in relation to the continuing use of an IAT compatibility test.
authors.affiliation: Freeman Hospital, High Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wallis
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Hedley
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Charlton
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Chapman
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001782:Blood Donors; D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D001789:Blood Group Antigens