Karl Landsteiner contributed to the discovery of which blood group–related factor?

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Multiple Choice

Karl Landsteiner contributed to the discovery of which blood group–related factor?

The key idea is recognizing the Rh factor and why it matters in transfusion and pregnancy. Karl Landsteiner, expanding on his ABO work, helped establish the Rh blood group system, identifying the D antigen on red cells in 1940 with Wiener. If red cells have the D antigen, a person is Rh-positive; if they lack it, they are Rh-negative. This distinction is crucial because anti-D antibodies can form after exposure to Rh-positive blood, leading to transfusion reactions, and in pregnancy, maternal anti-D can cross the placenta and cause hemolytic disease of the newborn. The other antigens listed belong to separate blood group systems discovered by different researchers, but the contribution linked to Landsteiner is the Rh system.

The key idea is recognizing the Rh factor and why it matters in transfusion and pregnancy. Karl Landsteiner, expanding on his ABO work, helped establish the Rh blood group system, identifying the D antigen on red cells in 1940 with Wiener. If red cells have the D antigen, a person is Rh-positive; if they lack it, they are Rh-negative. This distinction is crucial because anti-D antibodies can form after exposure to Rh-positive blood, leading to transfusion reactions, and in pregnancy, maternal anti-D can cross the placenta and cause hemolytic disease of the newborn. The other antigens listed belong to separate blood group systems discovered by different researchers, but the contribution linked to Landsteiner is the Rh system.

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