Irish Blood Transfusion Service Service. The frequency of blood groups in Ireland is as follows: It is important that the IBTS collects enough O Rh D positive blood as almost half the population are that blood type. Donors with O Rh D negative are known as universal donors. Their blood can be transfused to patients of any other blood group in an emergency or if the patient's own blood group is unavailable. Because any patient can receive O Rh D negative blood, the IBTS need to have extra O Rh D negative blood available at all times. The service depends entirely on voluntary donations
ABO blood group system life by sensitization to environmental substances, such as food, bacteria, and viruses. The ABO blood types were discovered by Karl Landsteiner in 1901, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1930. ABO blood types are also present in some other animals such as rodents and apes, including chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas. The ABO blood types were first discovered by an Austrian Physician Karl Landsteiner working at the Pathological-Anatomical Institute of the University of Vienna (now Medical University of Vienna). In 1900, he found that blood sera from different persons would clump together (agglutinate) when mixed