The effect of ABO-Rh blood group determinants on urinary tract infections.
BACKGROUND
Blood group antigens are a group of carbohydrate determinants found on erythrocytes, phagocytes, lymphocytes and certain epithelial tissues including urothelium. There are several publications that defines enhanced bacterial adhesions due to genetic markers such as blood group types.


METHODS
The ABO-Rh blood group distribution of patients with UTI and Escherichia coli(+) urine culture were compared with ABO-Rh blood group distribution of our country.


RESULTS
The distribution of blood groups was as follows; 36.6% A Rh+, 4.9% A Rh-, 12.2% B Rh+, 2.4% B Rh-, 31.7% O Rh+, 2.4% O Rh-, 4.9% AB Rh+, respectively; and none with AB Rh- blood group. There was a significant correlation between our study group and ABO-Rh phenotypes distribution of Turkish population.


CONCLUSIONS
The concordance of UTI with blood group ARh+ may be due to the most seen of ARh+ phenotype in the investigated population. We suggest that before defining the relationships on genetical markers, it would be more reliable to correlate them with their local distributions in the population.
Sakallioglu
Onur
O
Pediatric Nephrology Unit, Gulhane Military Medicine Academy, Etlik, Ankara, Turkey. onursakallioglu@yahoo.com
Sakallioglu
A Ebru
AE
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000097:blood*
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System