Incidence of ‘Bombay’ (Oh) Phenotype and Weaker Variants of A and B Antigen in Bombay (India)

Abstract

Incidence of Oh and weaker A and B variants was studied in 167,404 Indians in Bombay. Eight out of 17 cases of A variants were due to weak A(2), the majority being among AB individuals. Incidence of all weak A is 1:3,300 among persons possessing the A antigen. The actual incidence of A variants deducting weak A(2) is approximately 1:6,000 persons having the A antigen. Weak B is observed in 1:9,300 persons possessing the B antigen. A(x)-B(x) variants were twice as common as A(m)B(m) types. The O(h) phenotype is observed in 1:7,600 random persons. The regional and caste distribution of O(h) individuals showed that 14 out of 22 of the Oh individuals in the present survey and 33 out of 58 among all Oh cases investigated belonged to south-west districts of Maharashtra.

Bombay (Oh) Phenotype in two Generations in an Indian Family

“…However, all of them belonged to a cluster of six villages in a small area, and inbreeding between the members of different villages is not ruled out. The possible absence of consanguinity in the family suggests a high frequency of the gene h in this area, supporting our earlier findings of a focus of this rare gene h in the southwest district of Maharashtra [Bhatia and Sathe, 1974], The earlier family report of Yunis et al [1969] with Oh phenotype in two generations was a result of consanguineous marriages. The present family is also impor tant as the first report of the Oh Le(a-b-) phenotype in two generations.…”

A Case of O(h) (Bombay) Blood Found in a Thai-Muslim Patient

“…The incidence of Oh (Bombay) is much 7,600 according to a recent survey by Bhatia and Sathe [3]. Since 1970, we have done 131,000 ABO groups among our vol untary donors, only 744 of whom have been Thai-Muslims, all from the Bangkok area, and we have never found an Oh (Bombay) blood.…”

ABO, H, and Lewis Systems

“…The Bombay phenotype is very rare, but appears to be less rare in India than elsewhere with an O h frequency of about 1 in 7600 Indians in Bombay, an h gene frequency of 0.0115 [427] . A rich source of two types of H -defi ciency phenotype exists in R é union Island in the Indian Ocean: typical O h in the Tamil Indian population and partial red cell H -defi ciency, non -secretor in the population of European origin [428] .…”