Does a Novel ABO Gene Variant lead to Discrepant Results in Forward/Reverse and Molecular Blood Grouping?
The novel ABO gene variant Aw34 is associated with very weak A antigen expression and absent anti-A isoagglutinins. The mutation is located in exon 6 close to the O(1)-specific 261G deletion in the binding region of PCR-SSP primers. Presumably, depending on the primer concentration used in commercial ABO genotyping kits, the mutation could lead to a false-negative reaction.
We hypothesize that there are a number of differences between Australia and Switzerland that make source tracing unfeasible in Australia.