Abstract
Numerous papers have appeared dealing with weaker forms of the A factor, some of which have been termed A(4), A(5), A(x), and A0. This subject was studied by Gammelgaard 8 and briefly reviewed by Duns- ford and Bowley^2 and more recently by Race^10. In some of the weaker forms such as A(0), the agglutinogen A is more distinctly agglutinated by the anti-A of group O serum than by the anti-A of group B serum. In unpublished experiments in these laboratories with bloods belonging to this category, it was possible to demonstrate the A factor more readily by their capacity to yield eluates after contact with potent anti-A. In some of these cases, these eluates were just as potent or more potent than those obtained from the more strongly reacting Ax blood. Studies on two additional bloods of subtype A(0) will be given below. With the aid of eluates it was also possible to confirm the presence of a very weak agglutinogen B in members of a mating of A(1)B(w) x O (Levine, Celano, and Griset ^9). In all cases of this sort the presence of the A or B factors was confirmed by demonstrating the corresponding substance in the saliva if the individual was of the secretor type. Thus, in the B(w) family referred to above, two were secretors and three were nonsecretors of the B substance. Recently Wiener and Gordon ^12 studied the blood of an individual whose red cells behaved like group O because it failed to react with a number of potent anti-A and anti-B sera and an unspecified number of group O sera. The presence in the serum of anti-B but no anti-A and the capacity of the saliva to inhibit anti-A led the authors to conclude that the agglutinogen A must have been present in the red cells in spite of negative agglutination reactions. Because of a parallel state of affairs existing in some monkey red cells, serum and body fluids, Wiener and Gordon used the term A(m) (“m” for monkey) to characterize the particular human blood which they studied. In the case of the gorilla characterized by presumably O red cells and only anti-A in the serum, B soluble substance was shown to be present in the submaxillary gland. Thus, Wiener, Candela, and Goss ^11 believe this observation to be in accordance with the Landsteiner rule of reciprocal relationships of antigens in the red cells and antibodies in the serum. In the case of the black spider monkey (ateles ater), the red cells and serum could be characterized as 0, anti-B, and as expected, high concentrations of A substance were found in the saliva. No attempt, however, was made either in the human or in monkey bloods to establish the presence of antigens in the red cells with the aid of eluates from anti-A or anti B, as indicated. Wiener and Gordon would have had no basis whatever for assuming the presence of the A factor in the red cells if the individual happened to be a nonsecretor. In that event, the blood would have to be classified as group 0 with anti-B but no anti-A.