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While ABO blood types are 100% genetically inherited, the environment seems to play a role in determining which blood types in a population will be passed on more frequently to the next generation.

ABO blood types are genetically determined

Antigens on the surface of red blood cell determine your ABO blood type

There are four different ABO blood types, named A, B, O and AB. Your ABO blood type depends on which kind of glycoprotein or antigen is found on the outside of your blood cells. These glycoproteins come in three forms and are referred to as A, B and O.

A gene on chromosome 9 determines your ABO blood type

The gene that determines your ABO blood type is found on chromosome 9 and is called ABO glycosyltransferase. In the simplest terms, this gene may be said to come in three different forms, that is, it has three different alleles. These alleles are also named A, B and O, because each is responsible for the production of its namesake glycoprotein (antigen). It is therefore the combination of alleles that you inherited from your parents that determines which glycoproteins are found on your blood cells and thereby your ABO blood type.

The deCODEme Complete Scan identifies which combination of the three ABO alleles you carry on chromosome 9 and therefore which blood type you are likely to have. At the present time, sufficient predictive data is only available for customers of European ancestry.

Please note that the results of the deCODEme scan cannot replace a traditional ABO blood typing test that is used for critical medical procedures such as blood transfusion or organ transplantation. What we provide here is a prediction of your ABO blood type based on the genetic variants included in the deCODEme Complete Scan.

Evolutionary history and global distribution of blood types

While ABO blood types are 100% genetically inherited, the environment seems to play a role in determining which blood types in a population will be passed on more frequently to the next generation. This is mainly the result of natural selection. Specific ABO blood types are thought to be linked with increased or decreased susceptibility to particular diseases. For instance, individuals with type A blood are at a somewhat higher risk of contracting smallpox and developing cancer of the esophagus, pancreas, and stomach. People of type O may be at a higher risk for contracting cholera and plague, as well as developing duodenal and peptic ulcers. Some research suggests that blood of type O is especially tasty to mosquitoes, which could be a significant factor in the contraction of malaria.

In this way, ABO blood group antigens appear to have been important throughout our evolution, because the frequencies of different ABO blood types vary among different populations, suggesting that particular blood types may have conferred selective advantages in the past (for example resistance against an infectious disease).

ABO blood type distribution is consistent with migrations of populations

Some evolutionary biologists theorize that the A allele evolved earliest, followed by O and then B. This chronology accounts for the percentage of people worldwide with each blood type. It is also consistent with the accepted patterns of early population movements and varying prevalent blood types in different parts of the world: for instance, B is very common in populations of Asian descent, but rare in populations of Western European descent. (See population frequencies of ABO blood groups).

This content was last reviewed on February 09, 2010.

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