Animal erythrocytes have cell surface antigens that undergo polymorphism and give rise to blood types.
Antigens from the human ABO blood group system are also found in apes and Old World monkeys, and the types trace back to the origin of anthropoids.
The Rh system is named after the rhesus monkey, following experiments by Karl Landsteiner and Alexander S. Wiener, which showed that rabbits, when immunised with rhesus monkey red cells, produce an antibody that also agglutinates the red blood cells of many humans.
Dogs that are DEA 1.1 positive (33 to 45% of the population) are universal recipients - that is, they can receive blood of any type without expectation of a life-threatening hemolytic transfusion reaction.
In addition, these alloantibodies will be present in a female dog's milk (colostrum) and adversely affect the health of DEA 1.1 negative puppies.
The majority A allele seems to be dominant over the recessive B type, which is found with a higher frequency in some countries other than the United States.
It is only identified in 2007, with no specific gene mapped yet,[11] but the prevalence of Mik- appears high enough for concern.
The ideal universal whole blood donor is a non-thoroughbred gelding that is Aa, Ca, and Qa negative.
The M-L system is involved in active red cell potassium transport and polymorphisms.
[17] In parrots, notably, there are no reported blood types, but there is a better success rate of transfusion between same species of animal.