DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i06.037

Pages: 2340-2343

Haemolysins are antibodies or Immunoglobulin which in the presence of complement, cause the lysis of the corresponding red cell antigen. High titre alpha (α) and Beta (β) haemolysin in blood of donors shorten the life span of recipient's cells. This institution based, cross sectional study was designed to determine the occurrence of Haemolysins in group O type donors. A total number of 209 sera samples of apparently healthy group O donors were screened for haemolysins, using standard protocols. A cut-off titre value of 16 and 32 was set for α and β haemolysin respectively. Four (1.9%) of the samples contained α and β haemolysins, and in one case (0.5%), only α-haemolysin was detectable in high titer. In this study, the incidence of haemolysin among group O donors was low; therefore routine screening may not be necessary. However, when an elective transfusion of O blood group to a non O group individual is anticipated, it is important to exclude the presence of haemolysin before selecting compatible units