Relationships between human blood groups, bacterial pathogens, and urinary tract infections.
Blood groups of 137 patients with acute pyelonephritis and chronic upper tract infection, cystitis, and asymptomatic bacteriuria were compared with those of a normal uninfected control population. In addition, the identified uropathogens were categorized according to the patient's blood group. There was a significant association between the diagnosis of chronic upper tract infection and blood group B as compared with controls (p = less than 0.05, chi 2). Analysis of the bacterial isolates showed that more patients with blood group B had infections with Pseudomonas sp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus sp. than was expected; and fewer patients with blood group A had infections with Pseudomonas than predicted (p = less than 0.05, chi 2). There was an increased number of patients in blood group AB with infections caused by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. These results suggest that an individual's blood group may be a significant factor in the host-response to bacterial invasion and influence the development of infection with certain gram-negative bacilli.