French scientists find new blood type in Guadeloupe woman

Basse Terre: A French woman from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe has been identified as the only known carrier of a new blood type, dubbed Gwada n...

Basse-Terre: A French woman from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe has been identified as the only known carrier of a new blood type, dubbed "Gwada negative," France's blood supply agency has announced.

The announcement was made 15 years after researchers received a blood sample from a patient who was undergoing routine tests ahead of surgery, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) said on Friday.

"The EFS has just discovered the 48th blood group system in the world!" the agency said in a statement on social network LinkedIn.

"This discovery was officially recognised in early June in Milan by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT)."

The scientific association had until now recognised 47 blood group systems.