# ABO blood group antigens in saliva - A cross sectional study

## TL;DR

This study shows that ABO blood group antigens in saliva strongly correlate with blood type, suggesting saliva can be a non-invasive alternative for blood group identification.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the reliability of saliva as a non-invasive sample for determining ABO blood group antigens.

## Key findings

- ABH antigens in saliva strongly correlate with blood group (Pearson coefficient r = .980**).
- Saliva samples collected via drooling and gauze methods showed significant results.
- Saliva is a feasible and reliable alternative for ABO blood group identification.

## Abstract

Blood group antigens are present on red blood cells and in bodily fluids like saliva, making them useful in forensic investigations
when blood or tissue samples are unavailable. Therefore, it is of interest to determine the secretory status of A, B, H antigens in
saliva to correlate it with blood samples. A prospective, randomized, cross-sectional study of 102 individuals was conducted, with
saliva collected using drooling and gauze methods. Blood group was determined using slide agglutination. A strong correlation (Pearson
coefficient r = .980**) was observed between ABH antigens in saliva and blood group as well as with dry salivary sample (p = 0.04*).
Thus, the feasibility and reliability of identifying ABO blood group antigens in saliva, supporting its potential as a non-invasive
alternative for forensic and clinical applications is shown.