A new, globally unique blood type is found in a French woman from Guadeloupe

A French woman from Guadeloupe has been identified as the only known carrier of a new blood type, dubbed "Guada-negative," an official at the French Blood Institute announced Friday, confirming a report broadcast by France Inter radio.

In early 2011, this patient was found to have a "highly specific" and previously "unknown" antibody, but resources at the time did not allow for further research, explained Thierry Bérard, a medical biologist, pharmacist, and director of quality and safety of blood products at the institute.

Bérard noted that scientists were able to "solve the mystery" in 2019, thanks to "high-resolution DNA sequencing" that revealed a genetic "mutation."

The foundation announced on social media that the discovery of this new blood type was "officially announced in early June in Milan by the International Society of Blood Transfusion" (ISBT).

Bérard explained that the patient, in her sixties, was "54 years old and residing in Paris," and was undergoing routine pre-surgery tests when the unknown antibody was discovered.

The specialist said that the woman "is currently only compatible with herself in terms of blood type", while for other rare blood types, compatibility can be determined with a small group of people, such as siblings. He added, "This is undoubtedly the only known case in the world."

The researcher and his colleagues are currently implementing a special protocol in the hope of finding other people with the same blood type, "particularly in Guadeloupe, among blood donors."

Bérard noted that "this blood type is inherited from her father and mother," as both carried the "mutated gene." Like their parents, the patient's siblings "carried only one allele," and therefore did not have this blood type, which is manifested by "two identical genes."

This discovery led to the identification of "a new blood type family, PIGZ, which has become the 48th blood type system in humans." The most famous blood type system in humans, ABO, dates back to 1900.

The name "Gwada Negative," which indicates the patient's origins in Guadeloupe and "appears to be appropriate in all languages," was well received by experts, according to Bérard.