The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of the AB blood group antigens system in domestic cats of Paraíba, Brazil. We randomly selected 178 cats which were clinically healthy, with no prerequisites in terms of gender or race, weighing above 1.5 kg, and were over one year of age. These cats were randomly selected when they entered the small animal clinic facilities in the cities of João Pessoa, Campina Grande and Patos. The determination of blood types was made using the hemagglutination test tube, and the reverse typing was performed for samples B and AB types and for confirmation of alloantibodies natural disclosure. In this study the relative frequency of A, B and AB blood group antigens in cats without a determined breed was 98.1%, 1.21% and 0.69% respectively. All cats with breed definition were blood type A. The likelihood of random transfusion reactions was 2.78%, approximately 40% (1.11%) potentially fatal. Thus, given knowledge of the frequency of different blood types in cats, from a given region, it is concluded that blood typing and compatibility test are important tools that enable the veterinarian to take preventative measures to minimize risks of isoelectrolisys reactions and neonatal transfusion, and establishes prerequisites about the risks of hemotherapic procedures in cats that require circumstantially to be conducted randomly.
Immunohematology; blood types; erythrocyte antigens; cats
