The Vel Blood Group in Northern Sweden

Abstract

Using the potent anti-Vel, Paul., a detailed study of the Vel blood group has been made in the Northern region of Sweden. Family studies have shown Vel to be independent of P1, though some association with P groups was detected since P2 was more frequent amongst Vel(-) than expected. The frequency of Vel(-) was 0.0006.

High Frequency Antigens, including Vel

“…The fi rst anti -Vel and other examples since have caused severe immediate HTRs [1,23,25,26] . This supports earlier speculations of an association between Vel and P1 [5] . In six families that demonstrate that Vel does not belong to the P1PK system an excess of Vel -negatives were P 2 , with a probability of signifi cance of about 1:70.…”

“…Vel has been detected on fetal red cells as early as 12 weeks ' gestation [17] . A patient who was Vel -when fi rst tested developed a Vel antigen of normal strength during pregnancy; this Vel antigen persisted for at least 6 months after delivery [5] .…”

The c.64_80del SMIM1 allele is segregating in the Hutterite population

“…As compiled by Daniels, serologic testing of RBCs from several large series of Caucasian blood donors have established that approximately one in 2500 individuals is Vel−, meaning that the carrier frequency is about one in 25. In individuals of Swedish or Norwegian ancestry the carrier frequency and the frequency of Vel− homozygous individuals are slightly more common at about one in 20 and one in 1600 respectively . This study has established that the c.64_80del allele of SMIM1 is not only present in the Hutterites, but of the 106 (104 not closely related individuals and the propositus and his spouse from Fig.…”

Rabbit red blood cell stroma bind immunoglobulin M antibodies regardless of blood group specificity

“…Antibodies to the Vel blood group antigen are unusual in that they are often a mixture of IgM and IgG and have a wide thermal range. These characteristics hint at the possible carbohydrate nature of the antigen, an observation that was perhaps reinforced by the unusually high incidence of the P 2 phenotype among Vel‐negative individuals in northern Sweden 3 . Following reports, both anecdotal and documented, 4,5 that anti‐Vel sera were adsorbed with rabbit RBC stroma, we performed a study to investigate this further.…”