Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener identified the Rh factor in 1939, working from serum produced by immunizing rabbits with red blood cells from a rhesus macaque, which gave the antigen its name. Philip Levine and Rufus Stetson published the first clinical case report the same year, describing the severe hemolytic transfusion reaction and hemolytic disease of the newborn that follow when an Rh-negative mother carries an Rh-positive fetus. Roughly 80 to 85 percent of people carry the Rh(D) antigen, making the Rh system the second most clinically significant blood group system after ABO; the discovery led directly to prenatal Rh screening and prophylaxis that dramatically improved maternal and fetal outcomes.
Facts
Discovery Year DiscovererKarl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener; the clinical significance was independently reported the same year by Philip Levine and Rufus Stetson. 1 Classification
Type/Classification Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Rh Blood Group System
Discovery of the Rh blood group factor directly explained the maternal-fetal blood incompatibility that causes hemolytic disease of the newborn.
Discovered By
Source Wikipedia: Rh Blood Group System
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Rh Blood Group System
WikipediaDiscoverers; Naming origin; Significance
The serum that led to the discovery was produced by immunizing rabbits with red blood cells from a rhesus macaque.
- Year of discovery
entity description, Discovery of the Rh Factor
Philip Levine and Rufus Stetson published the first clinical case report the same year, describing the severe hemolytic transfusion reaction and hemolytic disease of the newborn that follow when an Rh-negative mother carries an Rh-positive fetus.
- Discovered By: Karl Landsteiner
- Associated With: Blood Transfusion
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.