Prevalence of Mia antigen and anti-Mia antibody among patients from a university hospital in Malaysia

Authors

  • Gayathri Navaretnam Departments of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Chooi Fun Leong Departments of Pathology and Department of Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Rabeya Yousuf Blood Bank Unit, Department of Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Naveen Vyas Departments of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Yee Loong Tang Blood Bank Unit, Department of Pathology and Department of Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v24i2.81537

Keywords:

Mia antigen; Anti-Mia antibody; GP. Mur; Glycophorin; MNS variants; Malaysia

Abstract

Background Mia is a low-frequency red cell antigen associated with the MNS glycophorin variants, commonly found in individuals with the GP. Mur phenotype in Southeast Asia. The alloantibody, anti-Mia, is linked to hemolytic transfusion reactions and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of Mia antigen expression and the presence of anti-Mia antibodies. Methods This study was conducted at the Blood Bank unit of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre. The Mia antigen phenotyping was performed from June 2018 to September 2019 using random sampling of blood samples collected for pre-transfusion testing and analyzed using a monoclonal anti-Mia antibody. The prevalence of anti-Mia antibodies was evaluated from samples sent for antibody screening and identification over one year from October 2018 to September 2019. Results A total of 694 patients participated in the Mia antigen study, including 347 Malays, 233 Chinese, and 114 Indians. The overall prevalence of the Mia antigen was 18 out of 694 (2.6%). The highest frequency was observed in the Chinese group (4.7%), followed by Malays (1.7%) and Indians (0.9%), with statistical significance (p=0.038). For anti-Mia antibody study, 13,011 samples were screened for antibodies, resulting in 231 alloantibody positive cases (1.8%), with anti-Mia antibodies detected in 61 cases, reflecting a prevalence of 0.5%. Conclusion: Given Malaysia’s diverse ethnic makeup, understanding Mia antigen frequency is essential. This study reveals a relatively low prevalence of the Mia antigen alongside a notable incidence of anti-Mia antibodies compared to neighboring countries.

Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 24 No. 02 April’25 Page : 621-628                                

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Published

2025-05-17

How to Cite

Navaretnam , G., Leong, C. F., Yousuf , R., Vyas, N., & Tang, Y. L. (2025). Prevalence of Mia antigen and anti-Mia antibody among patients from a university hospital in Malaysia. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science, 24(2), 621–628. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v24i2.81537

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 2 (2025)

Section

Original Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Gayathri Navaretnam , Chooi Fun Leong, Rabeya Yousuf , Naveen Vyas, Yee Loong Tang

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