India’s new blood group CRIB: In a rare medical discovery, a previously unidentified blood group has been identified in a 38-year-old South Indian woman, marking the first such case ever recorded in the world. The newly identified blood group has been officially named ‘CRIB,’ combining “CR” for the Cromer blood group system and “IB” for India and Bengaluru.
The discovery was confirmed by the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in Bristol, UK, following 10 months of advanced molecular testing. The patient, who had been admitted to R.L. Jalappa Hospital in Kolar for cardiac surgery in February last year, was initially typed as O Positive. However, her blood was found to be incompatible with all available O Positive units, prompting deeper analysis by the Advanced Immunohematology Reference Lab at Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre.
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“This was an extremely complex case,” said Dr. Ankit Mathur, Additional Medical Director at the Rotary Blood Centre, The Hindu reported. “Her blood reacted with every test sample, what we call ‘panreactive’. Even 20 family members, including her children, failed to match her blood.”
With support from physicians, her surgery proceeded without transfusion. Her blood samples were sent to the UK, where IBGRL researchers discovered that she carried a previously unrecorded antigen within the Cromer system of blood group classification.
The case was presented at the 35th Regional Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) in Milan on June 4, 2025. She is now recognised as the first person in the world to carry this rare antigen.
To support patients with rare blood types, the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre and BMST (Bangalore Medical Services Trust) launched a Rare Blood Donor Registry in partnership with the Karnataka State Blood Transfusion Council and ICMR’s National Institute of Immunohematology.
