Transfusion medicine professionals should be fluent in the various terminologies and naming conventions used in discussions of the Rh system. For example, reference laboratory technologists may state that a patient who has anti-e needs to receive R2R2 red blood cells. The table below is a roadmap that students and laboratory professionals may find helpful in understanding Fisher-Race and Wiener terminology. An upper case R is used when the D antigen is present - Rh positive. A lower case r is used when the D antigen is absent - Rh negative.
Wiener gene | Wiener shorthand designation | Fisher-Race antigens |
Rh0 | R0 | Dce |
Rh1 | R1 | DCe |
Rh2 | R2 | DcE |
Rhz | Rz | DCE |
rh | r | dce |
rh' | r' | dCe |
rh" | r" | dcE |
rhy | rz | dCE |