TITLE:
Extensive Phenotyping of Erythrocyte Antigens in Volunteer Blood Donors in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo
AUTHORS:
Costa M. Kazadi, Berry Ikolango Bongenya, Erick Ilunga Kasamba, Lubobo Kazadi, Mukena Nyembo, Erick Ntambwe Kamangu
KEYWORDS:
Erythrocyte Phenotyping, Blood Donors, Anti-Erythrocyte Alloimmunization
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
22,
2025
ABSTRACT: The present study concerns extensive phenotyping of erythrocyte antigens in volunteer blood donors in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Since blood transfusion is a therapeutic procedure, it presents risks related to immunological responses. These are mainly due to genetic polymorphisms of erythrocyte antigens, leading to anti-erythrocyte alloimmunization, which can lead to transfusion impasse situations. The aim of the study is to determine the frequency of alleles of the blood group system of transfusion interest. This was a cross-sectional observational study. The present study was carried out at the provincial blood transfusion center of Lubumbashi on 211 blood donors during the period from January 2022 to December 2022. Data were collected from the donor’s clinical record. Males were the most represented at 94.8%. For the Rhesus system, antigens D, C, E, and e accounted for 98.1%, 10.4%, 14.7% and 39.4% respectively. For the Kell system, 16.6% of donors had the Kel1 antigen. For the MNS, M antigen was predominant at 49.8%. Older age was associated with an increase in blood donations (p