(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Blood types may help determine whether a person can
build resistance to contracting HIV or increase their chances of avoiding the
virus altogether.
An international team of Canadian and Swedish scientists discovered patients who
produced an excess of a carbohydrate-containing antigen known as the Pk blood
group had a reduced sensitivity to HIV infection. The researchers also found a
subgroup of patients who did not produce any Pk to be much more susceptible to
the virus.
"This study is not suggesting that your blood type alone determines if you will
get HIV, however, it does suggest that individuals who are exposed to the virus,
may be helped or hindered by their blood status fighting the infection," Donald
Branch, Ph.D., lead author and scientist at the Canadian Blood services in
Ottowa, Ontario, was quoted as saying.
Other researchers add this discovery paves the way for novel therapeutic
approaches to induce HIV resistance, as well as create a better understanding of
the pandemic.
SOURCE: Blood, published online January 12, 2009
