人类新血型系统的发现，标志着血液学的重大突破

这一发现于9月份发表，源于1972年的一个令人费解的案件，解开了半个世纪之久的谜团，加深了我们对人类血液多样性的理解。

A team of researchers from the UK and Israel has identified a new blood group system in humans, marking a major breakthrough in hematology. The discovery, published in September, stems from a puzzling case in 1972, solving a half-century-old mystery and deepening our understanding of human blood diversity.

来自英国和以色列的一组研究人员在人类中发现了一种新的血型系统，标志着血液学的重大突破。这一发现于9月份发表，源于1972年的一个令人费解的案件，解开了半个世纪之久的谜团，加深了我们对人类血液多样性的理解。

The case involved a pregnant woman whose blood lacked a surface molecule found on nearly all human red blood cells. This molecule, now identified as the AnWj antigen, eventually led to the classification of the MAL blood group system after decades of dedicated research.

该病例涉及一名孕妇，她的血液中缺乏几乎所有人类红细胞上都存在的表面分子。这种分子现在被确定为 AnWj 抗原，经过数十年的专门研究，最终导致了 MAL 血型系统的分类。

“It represents a huge achievement, and the culmination of a long team effort,” says Dr Louise Tilley, a hematologist at the UK National Health Service who has spent nearly 20 years studying this rare blood variation. “This discovery enables us to provide the best care to rare, but important, patients.”

“这代表了一项巨大的成就，也是团队长期努力的顶峰，”英国国家卫生服务中心的血液学家 Louise Tilley 博士说，她花了近 20 年的时间研究这种罕见的血液变异。 “这一发现使我们能够为罕见但重要的患者提供最好的护理。”

According to the World Health Organisation’s global blood safety database, understanding blood group variations is essential for ensuring safe transfusions. While most people are familiar with the ABO blood system and the Rh factor, human blood classification is far more complex.

根据世界卫生组织的全球血液安全数据库，了解血型变异对于确保安全输血至关重要。虽然大多数人熟悉 ABO 血液系统和 Rh 因子，但人类血液分类要复杂得多。

The National Institutes of Health reports that scientists have identified over 30 blood group systems, each defined by distinct proteins and sugars on the surfaces of blood cells.

美国国立卫生研究院报告称，科学家们已经鉴定出 30 多种血型系统，每种系统均由血细胞表面的不同蛋白质和糖来定义。

The global distribution of blood types varies widely by region. In Kenya, data from the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service shows that approximately 30 per cent of the population has blood type O+, making it the most common blood type in the country. Globally, according to WHO statistics, blood type O+ remains the most prevalent, found in about 38 per cent of the world’s population.

血型的全球分布因地区而异。在肯尼亚，肯尼亚国家输血服务中心的数据显示，大约 30% 的人口为 O+ 型血，使其成为该国最常见的血型。根据世界卫生组织的统计数据，在全球范围内，O+ 型血仍然是最普遍的，约占世界人口的 38%。

The newly discovered MAL blood group system, however, is exceptionally rare. Research indicates that more than 99.9 per cent of people have the AnWj antigen, making its absence extra-ordinary. Dr Tim Satchwell from the University of the West of England explains, “MAL is a very small protein with some interesting properties, which made it difficult to identify and required us to pursue multiple lines of investigation.”

然而，新发现的 MAL 血型系统却异常罕见。研究表明，超过 99.9% 的人都具有 AnWj 抗原，因此该抗原的缺失非同寻常。西英格兰大学的 Tim Satchwell 博士解释说：“MAL 是一种非常小的蛋白质，具有一些有趣的特性，这使得识别变得困难，需要我们进行多方面的研究。”

The discovery has huge implications for medical science. The MAL protein plays a crucial role in maintaining cell membrane stability and facilitating cell transport. Intriguingly, the AnWj antigen is absent in newborns but develops shortly after birth, a phenomenon that researchers are still working to understand.

这一发现对医学有着巨大的影响。 MAL蛋白在维持细胞膜稳定性和促进细胞运输方面发挥着至关重要的作用。有趣的是，新生儿中不存在 AnWj 抗原，但在出生后不久就会出现，研究人员仍在努力了解这一现象。

The research team identified three patients with this rare blood type who didn’t have the expected genetic mutation, suggesting that certain blood disorders can suppress the antigen.

研究小组发现了三名具有这种罕见血型的患者，他们没有预期的基因突变，这表明某些血液疾病可以抑制抗原。

This finding opens new avenues for diagnostic medicine, as testing for the MAL mutation could help determine whether a patient’s negative MAL blood type is inherited or a sign of an underlying medical condition.

这一发现为诊断医学开辟了新途径，因为 MAL 突变检测可以帮助确定患者的阴性 MAL 血型是否是遗传性的，或者是潜在疾病的征兆。

The WHO emphasizes that understanding rare blood types is crucial for emergency medicine and maternal health. In cases where patients with rare blood types need transfusions, having detailed knowledge of these variations can mean the difference between life and death.

世界卫生组织强调，了解稀有血型对于急诊医学和孕产妇健康至关重要。在稀有血型患者需要输血的情况下，详细了解这些变异可能意味着生与死的区别。

The National Institutes of Health estimates that one in every 100,000 people may have an extremely rare blood type, making research into these variations vital for public health.

美国国立卫生研究院估计，每 10 万人中就有一人可能拥有极其罕见的血型，因此对这些变异的研究对于公共卫生至关重要。