title: Characteristics and frequency of DEL phenotype detected by indirect antiglobulin test in Dalmatia county of Croatia.
abstract: D variants, collectively called DEL, express trace amounts of D antigen which is considered to be serologically detectable only by adsorption-elution techniques. We detected six cases of DEL phenotype by indirect antiglobulin test, in Dalmatia County of Croatia by routine serological testing of D antigen of new blood donors. RH genotyping found that all six donors carry allele RHD(M295I), RH genotype CcDdee. D antigen densities of D variants were very low, between 26 and 44 D antigens per red blood cell. The frequency of D variants detected by IAT allele RHD(M295I) was 1:272 in D negative donors. Obviously, DEL phenotype is more common in some parts of European population than initially thought. In conclusion, our routine serological testing of D antigen can detect extremely weak D antigen, even RBCs with DEL phenotype and antigen density as low as 26 D antigens per RBC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Transfusion Medicine, Split University Hospital Center, Split, Croatia. Electronic address: slavica.dajak@kbsplit.hr.
authors.forename: Slavica
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dajak
authors.affiliation: Department of Transfusion Medicine, Split University Hospital Center, Split, Croatia.
authors.forename: Jelena Lukacevic
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Krstic
authors.affiliation: Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Körmöczi
authors.affiliation: Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dogic
authors.affiliation: Department of Transfusion Medicine, Split University Hospital Center, Split, Croatia.
authors.forename: Vedrana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Burilovic
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D003298:Coombs Test / Q000379:methods; D017523:Croatia; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System; C026410:Rho(D) antigen
keywords: Genotyping RHD; Indirect antiglobulin test; Weak D variants