Erythrocyte Phenotype Profiling in Repeat Blood Donors: A Cross-sectional Study in the Gbêkê Region, Côte d’Ivoire

The objective of this study was to catalogue clinically significant antigens of the Rh and Kell blood group systems among regular donors at the Regional Blood Transfusion Center (RBTC) of Bouaké. A total of 129 donors were included. ABO, Rh, and Kell typing were performed on samples collected from these donors using both slide and gel card methods. Among the donors, 120 (93.02%) were male and 9 (6.98%) female, aged between 19 and 58 years, with a mean age of 32.75 ± 7.9 years. The distribution of ABO phenotypes was as follows: O (49.6%, n = 64), A (17.1%, n = 22), B (27.1%, n = 35), and AB (6.2%, n = 8). Regarding the Rhesus (Rh) system, out of the 120 donors typed, 66 (51.2%) were RhD positive and 63 (48.8%) RhD negative. The most prevalent Rh antigens were c and e, each present in 99.2% of donors, followed by D (51.2%), C (17.1%), and E (10.3%). The observed Rh phenotypes were predominantly: ddccee (37.2%), Dccee (35.7%), ddCcee (11.6%), DccEe (8.5%), DCcee (4.6%), DccEE (1.6%), and DCCee (0.8%). The frequency of the Kell antigen (K) among these donors was 1.6%. The associated erythrocyte phenotypes were mainly O- cc dd ee K+ and O+ cc D Ee K+. The establishment of this erythrocyte phenotype database represents a valuable tool to enhance transfusion safety and reduce the risk of post-transfusion complications.