As if his regular service weren't enough, Fischer learned his O-positive blood is Code 96. That means it lacks a particular combination of antigens, which makes it especially useful for specialized cases: transplants, people who have been transfused so often that they reject regular blood, and fragile babies.
O negative blood is valuable because it can be transfused to anyone, regardless of their blood type.
An Rh null person has to rely on the cooperation of a small network of regular Rh null donors around the world if they need the blood. Across the globe, there are only nine active donors for this blood group. This makes it the world's most precious blood type, hence the name "golden" blood.
Type O positive blood is given to patients more than any other blood type, which is why it's considered the most needed blood type. 38% of the population has O positive blood, making it the most common blood type.
AB negative is the rarest of the eight main blood types - just 1% of our donors have it. Despite being rare, demand for AB negative blood is low and we don't struggle to find donors with AB negative blood. However, some blood types are both rare and in demand.
Some bags are labeled with “Code 96” or “Code 99,” a rare designation meaning they don't have the antigens or combination of markers in most of the population; the lack of antigens is frequently crucial for newborns who need transfusions.
Only 7% of the population are O negative. However, the need for O negative blood is the highest because it is used most often during emergencies. The need for O+ is high because it is the most frequently occurring blood type (37% of the population). The universal red cell donor has Type O negative blood.
Of the eight main blood types, people with Type O have the lowest risk for heart attacks and blood clots in the legs and lungs. This may be because people with other blood types have higher levels of certain clotting factors, which are proteins that cause blood to coagulate (solidify).
Type O negative red blood cells are considered the safest to give to anyone in a life-threatening emergency or when there's a limited supply of the exact matching blood type. That's because type O negative blood cells don't have antibodies to A, B or Rh antigens.
Donors with blood type O... can donate to recipients with blood types A, B, AB and O (O is the universal donor: donors with O blood are compatible with any other blood type)
Usually, you'll have the same blood type all of your life. In rare cases, however, blood types can change. The change usually relates to unique circumstances, such as having a bone marrow transplant or getting certain types of leukemia or infections. Not all of these changes in blood type are permanent.
Blood groups in Australia
According to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, the percentage of blood group frequency in Australia is: O positive - 40% O negative - 9% A positive - 31%
O negative donors are often called 'universal donors' because anyone can receive the red blood cells from their donations. Although about 8% of the population has O negative blood, it accounts for around 13% of hospital requests for red blood cells.
People with type O blood enjoy a slightly lower risk of heart disease and blood clotting, but they may be more susceptible to hemorrhaging or bleeding disorders.
A baby may have the blood type and Rh factor of either parent, or a combination of both parents. Rh factors follow a common pattern of genetic inheritance. The Rh-positive gene is dominant (stronger) and even when paired with an Rh-negative gene, the positive gene takes over.
In molecular history, type A appears to be the 'oldest' blood type, in the sense that the mutations that gave rise to types O and B appear to stem from it. Geneticists call this the wild-type or ancestral allele.
Results: The Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations had significantly different ABO and RhD distributions (P < 0.001). For Aboriginal individuals, 955/1686 (56.6%) were group O and 669/1686 (39.7%) were group A. In non-Aboriginal individuals, 1201/2657 (45.2%) were group O and 986/2657 (37.1%) were group A.
In order to be group O, you need both parent cells to be O. But group O is still more common simply because it is the ancestral form. The A and B mutations appeared in the last 20,000 years and haven't spread through the population yet.
Those with blood type O may struggle to conceive due to a lower egg count and poorer egg quality, while those with blood group A seem to be more fertile.
Famous people with blood type O include Queen Elizabeth II, Paul Newman, Elvis Presley, Ronald Regan, John Gotti, and Gerald Ford.
Brothers and sisters don't always share the same blood type. The genotype of both parents plays a role in defining the blood type. For instance, children of parents with the genotypes AO and BO may have the blood types A, B, AB, or O. Thus, siblings do not necessarily have the same blood type.