Blood Group P Substance in Hydatid Cyst Fluids

Abstract

IN the past eight years, 132 cases of hydatid disease have been treated in the Auckland Group of Hospitals. Among these patients, two were found to have strong anti-P agglutinins in their sera. These were recognized in the course of cross-matching blood for transfusion. About ninety of these cases had blood cross-matched, and of these only 25 per cent could be expected to be P-negative and able to have anti-P agglutinins in their sera. It seemed that this was a selected group presenting a high proportion of unusually strong anti-P sera. Merritt and Hardy¹ reported a serum containing strong anti-P in a boy aged twelve years with hydatid disease.