title: Rhesus and Kell Phenotyping of Voluntary Blood Donors: Foundation of a Donor Data Bank.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the Rhesus (Rh) and Kell (K) phenotype of voluntary blood donors and lay foundation of a data bank of voluntary blood donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood Bank, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, in the year 2014.
  
  
  METHODS
  Voluntary blood donors were inducted after taking written informed consent. Three -5cc of EDTA anticoagulated blood sample was taken to phenotype red cells for C, c, E, e, and Kell antigens using antisera. [DiaMedSwitzerland].
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hundred blood donors were included in the study. ABO blood groups of the donors were: O [37%], B [31%], A [21%] and AB [11%]. Ninety-seven percent were Rh D positive while 3% were Rh D negative; 'e' antigen had the highest frequency [99%], while 'E' antigen was the least frequent [19%]. The most common probable Rh phenotype was R1R1 ((DCe/DCe) in 44 [44%]. In the Kell system, all the donors [100%] had phenotype of K-k+.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most common blood group was O +ve. The pattern of Rhesus antigen expression and phenotype found in this study was concordant to that reported previously from Asia. However, there was a much lower frequency of K antigen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
authors.forename: Farheen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Karim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
authors.forename: Bushra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
authors.forename: Fahmida Jan
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Muhammad
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ausat
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khurshid
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D001771:Blood Banks; D001782:Blood Donors; D001788:Blood Grouping and Crossmatching; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007626:Kell Blood-Group System; D010154:Pakistan; D010641:Phenotype; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D007626:Kell Blood-Group System; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System