MadSci Network: Medicine |
Well if you understand the blood types then this will be easy to explain. People have 2 basic set of proteins on their cells, including blood cells and other cells in the body. These proteins are called either the A proteins or the B proteins. People inherit one protien from their mother and the pther from their father. These can be in any combination. Any cell may have an A from the father and B from the mother. This would make for the blood group AB. If the person does not get an A from the father but gets B from the mother they would have the Blood group B, Since the A from the father is absent. Similarly if a person does not get B from the mother but gets A from the father than his blood group would be A. If neithr A or B protiens are inherited then th eperson is stated as having O blood type meaning (no protein from the Ab system). Another set of proteins are also found on the blood cells. These were frist found is rhesus species of monkeys. Hence they were named the rhesus protein. If a person has rhesus protien they are called positive. If they do not inherit the rhesus protein from their parents then they will not have the rhesus gene to make the rhesus perotein and the cells will not have the rhesus protein. hence they will be negative for the rhesus protein. This rhesus (rh shortform) system of classification is called the Rh typing of blood. Combined with the ABO system it is often stated that the person is AB-Rh negative meaning they have both the A and B protein of the AB system and they do not have the rhesus protein. On the other hand if a person had only the B protien from the ABO system and had a rhesus protien then they would be clssifid as B-positive. Hope this helps.
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