As most mothers know, typically, around weeks gestation, pregnant moms undergo a number of antenatal blood screening tests that are designed to test for a wide range of potentially harmful conditions to the baby.
The immune system only makes antibodies for a specific antigen if it encounters that antigen during its surveillance of the body. Kell antibodies, for example, bind to Kell antigens on red blood cells. So, essentially, the mother, who was Kell negative no anti-bodies becomes Kell positive after being exposed to blood that has the Kell antigen.
Simply having the Kell antibody for moms is not unusual or harmful. Titers of or higher are considered critical for Kell. Failure to do so constitutes negligence.
Accordingly, there is a high likelihood that when a mother and father conceive a child, that fetus will be Kell negative. If the mother tests positive, step two is to determine whether the father possesses the Kell antigen. This is accomplished primarily through the use of what is known as a Middle Cerebral Artery ultrasound.
Barry Starr, Stanford University. Wikimedia Commons. Any children after the first can be at risk with a dad with Kell positive blood and a mom with Kell negative blood. The Tech Interactive S. Market St. San Jose, CA The Tech is a registered c 3.
Federal ID Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of Stanford University or the Department of Genetics. The Tech Interactive. Other Fun Stuff. Back to Other Fun Stuff. Instead, hardly any of their children survived after the first one By chance most of his wives and mistresses had daughters for their first child. Still, some kids do suffer from Kell-based HDN today. But this does not have to be forever. Search Ask a Geneticist.
Volver a la lista de Preguntas. Baby Products. Bookmark BookmarkTick BookmarkAdd save. What Is the Kell Factor? What is the Kell factor and how do I get tested for it? Plus, more from The Bump:. Next on Your Reading List. What Is Amniocentesis?
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