Genotypes are those organs that are determined by our genetics and various the types of blood group and genotype go hand in hand. There are various types of blood groups in every individual. If you have ever had to give or receive blood you would be aware of the fact that the types of blood group and genotype count a lot when donating or getting blood for yourself before or after an accident. Some types of blood group and genotype may not go with other types of blood group and genotype. So, someone with the AB+ blood group cannot give their blood to someone with B+ blood group because the latter’s body would reject the blood since it is not genetically able to accept AB+ blood.
Various types of blood group and genotype vary because of various factors- this may be because of the presence or lack of certain antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. These antigens could be carbohydrates, proteins or other constituents of the sort. How these antigens are found or affect the red blood cells is determined by the genotype of an individual blood. There are 4 main types of blood group and genotype is what determines them- A, B, AB, O and usually – or + is added to them to further classify them into different groups. So, a person with A- blood cannot take a B + donor’s blood after, say, an accident or for a blood transfusion. This is because the person with A- blood group has the A antigen on their red blood cells while the person with B blood group has B antigen on theirs. Think of it in terms of cars- if a car is made to run on petroleum, it would be absurd to fill it up with diesel instead. Similarly people with particular types of blood group and genotype cannot accept the blood of
another blood group.
There is one exception to this though- the blood group O (also referred to as zero). This blood group has antigens for A and B which means it can produce antibodies against both, A and B blood groups’. People with the O + blood group can only accept blood while those with O – blood group can only donate theirs universally.
These types of blood group and genotype are usually dependent upon the parents and usually women can and do carry babies with those types of blood group and genotype that are different from their own. In this case their bodies produce antibodies to fight against the red blood cells of the fetus. In some cases this may cause the fetus damage as it’s blood count drops but this is not always the case.
Examples of situations of when it is important to know of the types of blood group and genotype include the following: when giving donating blood for blood transfusions; when donating blood for a bone marrow transplant or even when reproducing.
In some countries it is believed that the types of blood group and genotypes could help determine the personality traits of an individual.