Vetnews | Augustus 2024 8 « BACK TO CONTENTS Abstract Objective: To evaluate the major crossmatch compatibility between rabbit recipients, rabbit donors, and the major canine and feline blood types. Design: Prospective in vitro study in December 2021. Setting: Academic veterinary teaching hospital. Animals: Whole blood samples were collected from 11 healthy New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) with no previous transfusion history. Three pigtail segments were acquired from dog erythrocyte antigen (DEA)-1-positive, DEA-1-negative, and feline type A blood units.Whole blood was collected from a healthy type B blood donor cat. Interventions: Blood from each rabbit recipient underwent a major crossmatch using standard tube crossmatch methodology with itself and the following donor blood types: rabbit, DEA-1-positive, DEA-1negative, feline type A, and feline type B. Measurements and Main Results: Self-crossmatches and crossmatches between rabbit recipients and conspecific donors were negative for hemolysis and agglutination. Crossmatches between rabbit recipients and canine and feline donors yielded no hemolysis but produced varying degrees of macroscopic and microscopic agglutination. Rabbit recipients had 1.4 (95% confidence interval: 1.1–1.8) times the risk of macroscopic agglutination when major crossmatched with canine blood compared to feline blood. No significant difference in agglutination was found between DEA-1-positive and DEA-1-negative or feline type A and type B donors. Conclusions: These findings support allogeneic blood transfusions between rabbits being highly compatible and suggest rabbits have naturally occurring alloantibodies against both canine and feline red blood cells. However, feline red blood cells had a lower rate of in vitro incompatibility on major crossmatch, suggesting potentially higher in vivo compatibility if an emergency xenotransfusion is needed. Further prospective research is needed to determine if xenotransfusion is associated with a higher incidence of acute and delayed transfusion reactions in rabbits than allogeneic transfusions. Abbreviations: DEA, dog erythrocyte antigen; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; pRBC, packed red blood cells. 1. INTRODUCTION Given the growing popularity of zoological companion animals, many of these unique species, including rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), are increasingly presented in need of critical care. Numerous disease processes in rabbits may result in severe anemia and the potential need for a blood transfusion, including trauma, liver lobe torsion, and coccidiosis.1 To date, there are no widely clinically recognized blood types in rabbits. In addition, commercial rabbit blood products or rabbit blood banks have not been established. If a conspecific blood donor rabbit is not readily available or facilitating a blood donation delays transfusion, a blood transfusion from another species (ie, xenotransfusion) may be a life-saving alternative. Emergency xenotransfusion between domestic animal blood donors and zoological animal recipients has been previously described, including canine whole blood to an island fox (Urocyon littoralis),2 bovine packed red blood cells (pRBCs) to a bluewildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus),3 and feline pRBCs to a ferret (Mustela furo).4 Crossmatch testing is performed to minimize the risk of immunemediated hemolytic transfusion reactions and alloimmunization, prolong donor RBC life span, and improve blood transfusion efficacy.5–8 While blood typing can determine the presence of known RBC surface antigens (ie, allo-antigens), crossmatch testing can help determine if a patient has in vitro serological compatibility with a potential blood donor. Major and minor crossmatch testing assesses in vitro serological compatibility between a blood transfusion recipient and a potential blood donor by assessing for hemolysis and agglutination. Hemolysis occurs when alloantibodies (ie, antibodies against foreign RBC allo-antigens) trigger complement and subsequent RBC membrane disruption, whereas agglutination results from alloantibodies binding RBC allo-antigens crosslinking them.8 A major crossmatch tests for naturally occurring or induced alloantibodies in the recipient’s serum or plasma against donor RBCs; conversely, a minor crossmatch tests for naturally occurring or induced alloantibodies in the donor’s serum or plasma against recipient RBCs.5–8 Major crossmatch compatibility of rabbit blood with rabbit,canine, and feline blood Nicholas G. Dannemiller DVM SarahM.Ozawa DVM, DACZM Olivia A. Petritz DVM, DACZM Sarah E. Musulin DVM, DACVECC Department of Clinical Sciences, College of VeterinaryMedicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA Correspondence SarahM.Ozawa, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 WilliamMoore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA. Email: sozawa@ncsu.edu
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