ABSTRACT. We evaluated the efficacy of noninvasive fetal Rhesus D (RHD) genotyping from maternal plasma in a highly admixed population. Fifty-five blood samples from RhD-negative pregnant women from Brazil were processed for extraction of cell-free plasma DNA. Realtime PCR was performed to amplify segments of exons 5 and 7 from the RHD gene, as well as for detection of the SRY gene to confirm the presence of fetal DNA. Fetal genotyping results were compared with the RhD phenotype determined from newborn cord blood samples obtained at birth. Thirty-two samples were RHD-positive, 18 were RHD-negative and 5 were inconclusive due to amplification of only one RHD exon. In 43 samples, the fetal RHD genotype was compared to the neonatal RhD phenotype, and only one result was discordant, due to false-negative serology. There was one false SRY genotyping negative result. We conclude that noninvasive fetal RHD genotyping from maternal blood provides accurate results and suggests its viability as a clinical tool for the management of RhD-negative pregnant women in an admixed population.

ObjectiveTo implement genotyping for S, s and U antigens of the MNS blood group system at the Fundação Hemominas and to evaluate the occurrence of GYPB gene polymorphisms associated with the U- and U+var phenotypes and deletion of the GYPB gene for the first time in an admixed population of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The S, s and U antigens can cause transfusion reactions and perinatal hemolytic disease. Genotyping is a useful tool in immunohematology, especially when phenotyping cannot be performed.MethodsNinety-six samples from blood donors and patients with sickle cell disease previously phenotyped for the S, s and U antigens were selected. Allele-specific primer polymerase chain reaction (ASP-PCR) and polymerase chain reaction -restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assays were employed to identify the GYPB*S and GYPB*s alleles and the GYPB(P2) and GYPB(NY) variants, as well as deletion of the GYPB gene.ResultsThe results of allele-specific genotyping (GYPB*S and GYPB*s) were totally in agreement with the phenotyping of S+ (n = 56), s+ (n = 60) and s- (n = 35) samples. However, the GYPB*S allele, in association with the GYPB(P2) variant, was detected in 17.5% of the S- samples (n = 40), which shows the importance of assessing this variant in the Brazilian population. Of the S-s- samples (n = 10), 60% had the deletion of the GYPB gene and 40% were homozygous or hemizygous for the GYPB(P2) variant.ConclusionGenotyping was an effective strategy to infer the S, s, and U phenotypes in the admixed population from Minas Gerais (Brazil) and may contribute to transfusion safety.