Scientists Have Discovered a New Blood Type. Only One Person on Earth Has It.
So interesting!
Scientists Have Discovered a New Blood Type. Only One Person on Earth Has It.
Named “Gwada negative,” it originated from a blood sample taken 15 years ago.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a65161270/gwada-negative-48-blood-group/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
By Darren Orf Updated: Jun 25, 2025 10:36 AM EDT
Most people are familiar with the four broad human blood types—A, B, AB, and O—and it’s likely they may even know that they come in positive or negative varieties (an indicator of what’s called an Rh factor) as well. However, that’s really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the complexity of human blood types. In fact, humans theoretically contain millions of different blood types, as there are more than 600 antigens that have been identified on human blood cells. Any combination of those antigens could be considered a new blood type.
However, the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) only recognizes 47 distinct blood type groups, with the latest being added just last year after a 50-year-long mystery. Now, according to a press statement published on LinkedIn by the French Blood Establishment (EFS), a 48th member has officially joined the party. Some 15 years ago, researchers received blood from a French woman originating from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, colloquially referred to as “Gwada.” The patient drew blood while undergoing routine tests before surgery.
An unusual antibody associated with this blood was discovered in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2019 that DNA sequencing found that a genetic mutation was responsible for the unique blood type, which was officially recognized by the ISBT this month. The researchers named the group “Gwada negative,” after the patient’s homeland, and confirmed that the woman inherited the blood type from her parents, who each contained the mutated gene.
“[This] is undoubtedly the only known case in the world,” Thierry Peyrard, a medical biologist at EFS, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “She is the only person in the world who is compatible with herself.”...............................
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