News: A new blood group, previously unidentified anywhere in the world, has been discovered in a South Indian woman from Kolar district in Karnataka.
About CRIB- A new Human Blood group
- The CRIB blood group is a newly identified blood type outside the existing major systems like ABO and Rh.
- Full form: In recognition of its origin, the group has been officially named ‘CRIB’, with CR representing Cromer and IB standing for India, Bengaluru.
- System: It belongs to the INRA (Indian Rare Antigen) blood group system, which was officially recognized by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) in 2022.
- It is an entirely new antigen not fitting into the 43 known blood group systems previously recognized by the ISBT.
- Characteristics
- It is characterized by the absence of a high-prevalence antigen found in most people.
- This absence of a common antigen makes blood transfusions extremely complex as only other CRIB-negative blood can be used, which is extremely rare.
- Importance
- It plays a crucial role in cases of Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN), where antibodies from the mother attack the red blood cells of the fetus.
- Identifying the CRIB group early in such cases could help prevent life-threatening complications during pregnancy.
