Occurrence of kell blood group among individuals with ABO and Rh (D) blood groups in Awka and Asaba, Nigeria

Antigens on the surface of the red blood cells are used to determine their blood group. The major blood groups in Nigeria are ABO and Rh (D). Globalization and trans-continental marriages might have thrown up some other blood group in Nigeria. This study identified the occurrence of kell blood group among individuals with ABO and Rh (D) blood groups in Awka and Asaba, Nigeria. One hundred and forty-two participants were recruited randomly for the study. A ml of blood sample collected from each participant was washed in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) thrice and a 3% red cell suspension of each participant’s blood was used to determine their blood groups by their agglutination reactions with anti-A, anti-B, Anti-D and anti-K antibodies. The presence or absence of agglutination in any or combinations of the reactions was used to identify the blood groups. The agglutination reactions showed that 106 (74.6%) were O Rh (D) positive; 2 (2.8%) were O Rh (D) Negative; 18 (12.7%) were A Rh (D) positive, 2 (1.4%) were A Rh (D) Negative; 12 (8.5%) were B Rh (D) Positive; none was B Rh (D) Negative while 3(2.1%) were kell blood group. Two individuals with expression of kell antigen on their red cell were of O Rh (D) positive blood while the third individual was of A Rh (D) positive. The finding that 2.1% of the studied population are kell blood group was an indication that individuals with expression of kell antigen on their red cells resides in Nigeria.