Re: Do rabbits have blood types similar or different to humans?

Greetings
The membrane of RBC is literally perppered with a great variety of 
antigenic determinants (blood factors). Some are fixed genetically, ie, 
they occur on the RBC of all members of the species under study.  Others 
segregate genetically, ie, they occur on the RBC of some but not all 
members of the species under study. It is these segregrating determinants 
that form the blood groups proper, the clasic example being blood factors 
A and B of the ABO system of human blood groups. The number of blood group 
determinants varies considerably between species (eg, greater than 80 in 
domestic cattle to only 1 in teh new world Camelidae). Genetic analysis 
has shown that the blood factors belong to one or another of a limited 
number of blood group systems.  Some of thse systems, similar to the B 
system of carttle, are enormously complex, whereas others involve but a 
single blood factor.  PMID:6757215 [PubMed - indexed for Medline: J Am Vet 
Med Assoc 1982 Nov 15:181(10):1120-4 : Stormont CJ

The rabbit seems to have blood groups labeled ABH. There is a tremendous 
amount of information relating to the ABH grouping of rabbit blood.
Seek out the information from the following references for a more complete 
and thorough answer.

 http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/74/24/11950?view=full&pmid=11090195

Binding of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus to Antigens of the ABH Histo-
Blood Group Family. 

Breimer, M. E., G. C. Hansson, K. A. Karlsson, H. Leffler, W. Pimlot, and 
B. E. Samuelsson. 1979. Selected ion monitoring of glycosphingolipid 
mixtures. Identification of several blood group type glycolipids in the 
small intestine of an individual rabbit. Biomed. Mass Spectrom. 6:231-241
[Medline]. 

Oriol, R., R. Mollicone, P. Coullin, A. M. Dalix, and J. J. Candelier. 
1992. Genetic regulation of the expression of ABH and Lewis antigens in 
tissues. APMIS 100:28-38.  
Thanks for taking the time to send in a question to the Mad Sci org

June Wingert
Associate Scientist
Biotechnology firm in Texas