Saliva as a Diagnostic Tool for AB0 Blood Group Determination

The simplicity and convenience of collecting saliva, as well as its component composition, make this biological fluid a common object of laboratory research, in particular for detecting the nucleic acids of viruses and bacteria, monitoring certain clinical conditions. The range of clinical situations where to use saliva as a diagnostic tool is becoming increasingly widespread and also includes determination of secretory status. The aim of this paper is to characterize the secretory status of the oral fluid, depending on the presence of group-specific antigens of the AB0 system. Antigens of the AB0 system are commonly considered in the context of immunohematology and transfusiology, however, there are new data about the significance of the research in saliva. These results are interesting not only for practical medicine as a convenient and non-invasive diagnostic method, but also for solving fundamental problems. Determining glycome of patient's oral fluid as an individual specific parameter will help to create a new personalized approach in preclinical diagnosis and develop preventive measures for many known diseases.