Diego Blood Group Systems Polymorphism in Pakistan

Polymorphism of the Diego Blood Group

Abstract

Background: Over 300 blood group antigens that belong to 33 blood group systems have been identified, and red blood cell genes demonstrate immunological diversity.  The Diego blood group system is clinically significant, and antibodies to its antigens may lead to serious cases of transfusion and haemolytic disease in the foetus and infant. Objective: To identify the prevalence of Diego blood group alleles among the Pakistani blood donors with the help of genotype analysis, and to give useful information for future blood transfusion guidelines and plans. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Settings: Department of Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion (AFIT) and the Haematology Department of AMC Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan. Duration: One year from January to December 2019. Methods: A total of 300 blood donors were selected, and blood DNA was extracted using a commercial kit. After preliminary ABO and Rh D blood typing, Sequence Specific Priming PCR (SSP-PCR) was performed to detect the DI1 and DI2 alleles. Results: The allele frequencies for DI1 and DI2 were 0.003 and 0.997, respectively. Genotype frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, with p-values > 0.05, indicating no significant deviation. Conclusion: The findings are useful in the development of a red cell antibody panel, the identification of rare blood donors, and the development of a rare blood donor program. The technique is based on PCR-SSP and can be utilized in a resource-constrained laboratory, which provides a cost-effective and quick way of genotyping blood groups.