ABSTRACT
We report a case of naturally-occurring anti-Miltenberger (anti-Mia(a)) antibody in a 16-year-old man who had never been transfused before. During an operation for a trauma he received 2 units of packed red blood cells. He was negative on an antibody screening test, but positive a week after the surgery when an extended screening test was conducted using blood cells positive for Miltenberger III (Mi.III) phenotype. The Mi.III phenotype is a low incidence antigen among Caucasians, however, it is reported to be relatively high in incidence among people in South-East Asia. Anti-Mia(a) antibodies are clinically significant antibodies that cause hemolytic transfusion reactions (HTRs) and hemolytic disease of the newborns (HDNs). In addition, anti-Mia(a) has a high rate of incidence among Thais, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong Chinese. There has been no particular report on Koreans regarding the incidence of this antibody, it would therefore require further research on the Mi.III phenotype and anti-Mia(a).