title: Reliable test for prenatal prediction of fetal RhD type using maternal plasma from RhD negative women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to establish a reliable test for prenatal prediction of fetal RhD type using maternal plasma from RhD negative women. This test is needed for future prenatal Rh prophylaxis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A novel real-time PCR-based assay targeting RHD exon 7 combined with a published assay for RHD exon 10 were used to determine the fetal RHD status in DNA extracted from plasma, sampled from 56 pregnant RhD negative women in 15th-36th week of gestation. Thirty-eight samples were from ongoing pregnancies of Danish women and 21 samples from 18 pregnant women were stored anonymized samples from the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory, Bristol, United Kingdom. Prediction of fetal RhD type was compared with the serological result obtained after birth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prediction of the fetal RhD type was in 100% concordance with the serological RhD type from the 16th week of gestation. One sample from the 15th week of gestation was inconclusive. The number of copies of fetal RHD DNA was found to increase with gestational age. Low levels of DNA were found to follow the Poisson distribution (p = 1.0000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our set-up was very reliable for determination of fetal RhD genotype, and thus will be of value in prenatal Rh prophylaxis and in the management of immunized women.
authors.affiliation: H : S Blodbank KI2034, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. frederik.banch.clausen@rh.hosp.dk
authors.forename: Frederik Banch
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Clausen
authors.forename: Grethe Risum
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Krog
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rieneck
authors.forename: Leif Kofoed
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Rasmus
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lundquist
authors.forename: Kirstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Finning
authors.forename: Ebbe
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dickmeiss
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hedegaard
authors.forename: Morten Hanefeld
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Dziegiel
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood*; D015342:DNA Probes; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / Q000235:genetics*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System; D004247:DNA