Tsunnyjim t1_jbnjppv wrote on March 10, 2023 at 9:03 AM

There are a lot more markers in your red blood cells than just Rhesus and ABO grouping.

Plus there a whole lot of other things in blood, like your white blood cells, platelets and plasma.

It's theoretically possible, but not likely, as any one factor being off can lead to rejection. Heck, it's tricky enough getting human blood transfusions right. It's more likely that blood plasma can be used, since it removes the majority of the cellular content, but I don't know that anyone has done a comparative study on human and primate blood plasma.

Also, I feel you are getting two things confused here. Blood transfusions are one thing; horse, donkey, mule genetics is a whole different thing.

Humans and primates are different species with no ability to mate with viable offspring.

Horses and donkeys are also separate species, but are closely enough related that they can mate and produce a sterile hybrid mule.

Bax_Cadarn t1_jbnrycc wrote on March 10, 2023 at 11:00 AM

Plasma and RBCs both can cause issues as while RBCs have the antigens that the donee can target and destroy, plasma has the antibodies ro do that. That's why someone with 0 can't be given AB RCSs - they will have the antibodies against these cells and the cells will get shredded.

DrBarry_McCockiner t1_jboc4kp wrote on March 10, 2023 at 2:14 PM

as to the second part, there has been a lot of speculation on the possibility of a humanzee, human/chimp hybrid because our chromosome count differs by one, just like horses and donkeys.

Rather_Dashing t1_jcylf94 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 3:38 PM

Chromosome number is just one measure of compatibility and its not a particularly good one. Some species have wildly different chromosome numbers within the same species and yet breed fine. Plenty of pairs of species with the same number of chromosomes can't breed.

All you can really say is that chromosomal number differences and rearrangements tends to reduce the fitness of offspring and reduces the likelihood of fertile offspring.

DrBarry_McCockiner t1_jcyt2z8 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 4:28 PM

true enough, although it is a bit simplistic to say "Plenty of pairs of species with the same number of chromosomes can't breed" Generally if they are in the same genus and often the same family and have the same number of chromosome pairs, they can have offspring. Obviously, a reptile and a mammal with the same number of chromosomes will not be able to have offspring.