Blood Groups of Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei)

Abstract

Blood and saliva from two mountain gorillas have been tested for human-type A-B-H, M-N and Rh-Hr blood groups as well as for homologues of the chimpanzee V-A-B and C-E-F systems. Both animals proved to be group B, and in this respect as well as in the other tests their red cells exhibited no apparent differences from the red cells of lowland gorillas previously tested by us.

Blood Groups of Gorillas: Further Observations

“…In tests for homologues of the human M‐N types [5], the red cells of all four mountain gorillas gave positive reactions with anti‐N v lectin (Vicia graminea and Vicia unijuga) ; one rabbit anti‐N serum also agglutinated their red cells but a second rabbit antiserum failed to do so. Similar reactions had been obtained with the red cells of the two mountain gorillas previously reported [4] as well as from all the lowland gorillas [5] indicating that all gorillas have an N‐like agglutinogen on their red cells. Tests on the red cells of the four new mountain gorillas with several anti‐M rabbit antisera gave strong positive reactions as in the case of the two mountain gorillas previously reported.…”

“…Similar reactions had been obtained with the red cells of the two mountain gorillas previously reported [4] as well as from all the lowland gorillas [5] indicating that all gorillas have an N-like agglutinogen on their red cells. Tests on the red cells of the four new mountain gorillas with several anti-M rabbit antisera gave strong positive reactions as in the case of the two mountain gorillas pre viously reported.…”

“…Because of the rare availability of blood from gorillas, the knowledge of their blood groups is limited; in fact, no significant reports on this subject have come to our attention aside from our own results, the last one published in 1973 [2, 4, 7]. Our findings so far were based on tests on 23 lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) but on only two mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei).…”

Blood Groups of the Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata)

“…All gorillas tested, whether mountain or lowland, have proved to be group B, although their red cells fail to agglu tinate with anti-B reagents [11]. Tests on the saliva showed that all anthro poid apes examined were A-B-H secretors in conformity to their blood groups, except for a single orangutan.…”

Blood groups in the species survival plan®, European endangered species program, and managed in situ populations of bonobo (Pan paniscus), common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), gorilla (Gorilla ssp.), and orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus ssp.)

“…In comparison to lowland gorillas, access to clinical samples from mountain gorillas has never been widely available for blood group determination. Initially, no reported differences were noted between lowland and mountain gorilla ( n = 2) blood group assessment [Socha et al, 1973]. However, one researcher—and a coauthor in the lowland gorilla study—consistently remarked that mountain gorillas were similarly nonreactive as the lowland species when blood was utilized, but were group A on secretor status [Weiner and Gordon, 1960; Wiener et al, 1963].…”