My parents blood types are A and O. Am i really Blood type AB?

Question

For this 17 years of my life, i've been told that my blood type was A. To my school, the Inova Blood Donor Service came and i decided to donate my blood. A month later, i got a confirmation letter and a thank you letter from the Blood Donor Service. On the paper, they added a card with my ID, including my blood type. On the paper, it said my blood type was blood AB. I asked my parents, they said they could be wrong. So i called the Donor Service. The lady explained to me how this is a rare occasion and she did explain how it happend, but i can't remember. Can anybody explain to me how this happend?

Answer 1

maybe your Daddy isn't your biological Dad

Answer 2

There is a way this can happen!

To simplify this:

You are type AB.

Your mother is type A.

Your father is type O.

Simple genetics:  Nope, not possible.  Most likely explanation:  The donor service got it wrong, and the actual father has type B or type AB blood.

Simple human error:  You recently donated blood, so you are confirmed AB, and you *know* your blood type.  How certain are you of both of your parents?  

Complex human error:  Blood typing services are usually correct, because when they s***w up, someone could die.  However, they can end up being wrong.  It's a very rare possibility, but it could happen.

Complex genetics:  Your father has the Bombay Phenotype.  This makes him show up as "O" on a normal blood test, but he could carry the "A" or "B" genes.  This is a very rare condition, and doesn't cause him any issues unless he receives a blood transfusion.

Genetics explanation:

Everyone has two copies of the "ABO" gene.  The A and B are codominant over the O.  This means that someone with "AA" or "AO", genetically, has type A blood.  "BB" and "BO" make B.  "AB" genetically only makes type AB blood.  "OO" genetically only makes type O blood.

Each parent gives one of their copies to the child.  Here are some examples of how blood types could mix:

For your parents (your mom could be AA, too, in which case all of her children would end up as AO, with type A blood):

Mom:  AO (A)  Dad:  OO (O)

Child:  Amom Odad AO (A), Omom Odad (O)

Another random match-up:

Mom:  AB (AB)  Dad:  OO (O)

Child:  Amom Odad (A), Bmom Odad (B)

The "B" gene has to come from somewhere for you.  Your dad doesn't have it, your mom doesn't have it.  The most likely explanation?  Your dad isn't really your dad, and someone with type B (or type AB) blood is really your dad.

However, there is another possibility:  The Bombay Phenotype.  Your dad would be the one who has it, and it lets him look like he only has OO genes (type O blood), but he could actually carry the A or B genes.

How it works:

There is another protein that no one thinks about called "h".  Almost everyone has it.  The "h" protein is made by the "h" gene.  The "A" gene contains instructions on how to turn the "h" protein into an "A" protein.  Similarly, the "B" gene contains instructions on how to turn the "h" protein into a "B" protein.

So what happens if you're missing the "h" gene?  You could have instructions on how to turn the "h" protein into a "B" protein, but they wouldn't do anything.  You wouldn't show up as having type B blood; you'd show up as having type O blood.

You can think of it like trying to make a sandwich.  The "h" gene is what provides instructions on the basics of sandwich:  Take two slices of bread, put something in between, yumminess results.  The "B" gene provides information about how to put a slice of turkey in between the slices of bread.  What does the B gene do if there aren't two slices of bread already set up?  Nothing.  It doesn't matter that you know how to do this one step if you don't know how to do the first step.

A little bit about mutations:  It's also possible for someone to "make" a B gene from two "O" genes.  O genes are basically non-functional copies of the other two genes.  There is a step in reproduction where mutations and mixing is common.  Most of the time it doesn't hit anything noticeable or important.  It certainly can happen, though.

So here is how you could imagine the mutation bit working:

Grandparents on the dad's side have type O blood (grandma) and type B blood (grandpa).  Grandma gives an O gene to your father, and grandpa gives a B gene.  However, when it is transferred, a tiny mutation occurs in the B gene that turns it off.  So, dad gets a normal O gene and a B gene that doesn't work, so he has type O blood.

Next, you are made.  Mom gives you A, and dad gives you his bad B gene, but when he passes it to you, the mutation reverses itself.

Answer 3

Blood type determination is not strictly inherited from parents... that is, your parents may be A and O but those might not have been dominant.  Blood type in not inherited in strict Mendelian Genetic form... so your parent  blood may be very different from yours.

Answer 4

If your parents' blood types are A and O respectively, the only possible blood type you could have is either A or O. No Bs included

Answer 5

No, you cannot be AB. One parent is either AA or Ai (recessive allele) the other parent carries both reccessive alleles. One of your parents would need to carry a B allele... I think you should get the test done again, or perhaps you misinterperated the results?

Answer 6

General blood typing:

One parent is A so they are either AA or AO

One parent is O so they are OO (O is recessive so you have to have two Os

So basicially you can be AO or OO (A or O).  That being said, there have been a large number of cases where there have been mutations resulting in a child with a different blood type - these children are genetically the child of their parents (no child of the milkman!).

So it is possible for you to be AB and your parents be A and O.  

Are you sure though that the A parent is actually A and not AB - if your parents thought you were A blood type but were wrong they might also be wrong about themselves.

Answer 7

If you are unsure, have your blood drawn by another blood banking facility and have it typed.  You could also have the Inova firm verify its finding.

You say that you were "told" that your blood type is A.  How was this proven to you?

Right now, you have enough doubt to have it tested two more times.  One by the same place and one by another.  If it come back AB, then trust this type.  I would.

Answer 8

No you cannot be. Either your parents' blood types are incorrect or yours is. Mistakes can be made in the lab. It would be like you coming out with black skin when your parents were both white. No parent had the "B" to give you.

Answer 9

either the lady is on crack

or your dad isn't your biological father

the only blood type you could be is A or O

so it is most likely A

and the lady screwed up

case closed