How can type AB blood receive from O, because O has A and B antibodies? Wouldn't the O's A and B antibodies attack the A and B antigens in the AB recipient blood?
1 Answer
Dec 6, 2016
The quantity of anti-A and anti-B antibodies in the received blood is too small to arouse an immunological reaction.
Explanation:
While the best transfusion option is always the same blood group, this is not always possible.
The O group (universal donor) is called so because of its ability to be transfused into a person with any other blood group.
Since the unit that is being transfused is generally much smaller than the person's actual blood volume, the presence of anti-A and anti-B antibodies in the O blood group is insufficient to cause a severe immunological reaction in the recipient.