Increase of Fetal Hemoglobin and Loss of Blood Group Antigen B in a Patient with Leukemia

Abstract

An 8-year-old girl with myelocytic leukemia was found to have blood group B by detection of B agglutinogen and anti-A agglutinin, agglutinin absorption test, elution test and family studies, but her red cells not agglutinated by anti-B seru amounted to 83% in the peripheral and bone marrow blood, and the red cells failed to react with anti-H.By the microprecipitation method, HbF.cells were found to occupy 79.8% of the whole red cells and 87.9% of the non-agglutinated red cells at the first examination. Thirty-seven days later, fetal hemoglobin containing red cells 78.1% of the whole red cells, 871% of the non-agglutinated red cells, 58.2% of the agglutinated ones and 88.8% of the non-agglutinated red cells treated with bromelin. The quantity of HbF tested by the alkali denaturation method amounted to 54.8% of the non-agglutinated and 28