About Gwada negative:
- It is named EMM-negative and colloquially dubbed “Gwada negative” in reference to the Guadeloupean origin of the woman who carries it.
- It is the informal name given to the newly classified EMM-negative blood group system, officially registered by ISBT as ISBT042.
- It is defined by the absence of the EMM antigen, which is normally found on red blood cells and is considered a high-incidence antigen.
- High-incidence antigens are present in nearly all humans but lacking in this new system which is extremely rare and medically significant.
- Criteria to consider a new blood group a new system: It should be genetically determined, inherited, identifiable via serological or molecular techniques, and have an associated antibody -- criteria that EMM-negative meets.
- The identification of the EMM-negative blood type adds to the previously known 47 blood group systems, making it the 48th globally recognised system in transfusion science.
- As of now, the woman from Guadeloupe is the only known person in the world to possess this blood type.
- Her case is especially unique because she inherited the mutated gene from both her mother and her father, each of whom likely carried a single copy of the rare gene variant. This dual inheritance led to a complete lack of the EMM antigen in her red blood cells.
Key Facts about International Society of Blood Transfusion
- It was founded in 1935 in Paris.
- Functions
- It aids in the solution of scientific and practical problems in blood transfusion.
- It facilitates the development of closer ties among those concerned with such problems, and to promote standardization of methods, equipment, and norms for its field.
- Headquarter: Amsterdam.
