December 17, 2020

Covid-19 and Blood Groups: ABO Antibody Levels May Also Matter

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

Keywords (Tags): risk factors

• Results from an in vitro study suggest that SARS-CoV-2 that has replicated in cells expressing blood group A and B antigens could be tagged with these antigens. A subsequent observational study (n=290 COVID-19 patients, n=276 asymptomatic controls) found that ABO antibody levels, which are antibodies that correspond to blood type, were significantly lower in COVID-19 patients than in propensity-matched controls. The authors suggest that people with low ABO antibodies may be at higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Deleers et al. (Dec 10, 2020). Covid-19 and Blood Groups: ABO Antibody Levels May Also Matter. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.12.025