Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
A Neonatal BALB/c Mouse Model of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Published on: November 30, 2021
Thomsen-Friedenreich activation in infants with necrotizing enterocolitis in Taiwan
Lin-Yen Wang1, Yung-Shu Chan, Feng-Chuan Chang
1Transfusion Medicine Laboratory, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Background:
Thomsen-Friedenreich (T) activation in infants with neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) has in some cases led to severe hemolysis after transfusions of plasma-containing blood components, causing some authors to advise routine screening for T activation in all infants with NEC. However, no data are available on the frequency of T activation in infants with NEC in Taiwan.
Study Design And Methods:
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 43 infants with NEC managed in our hospital from 2000 to 2007. In all cases, Arachis hypogaea lectin was used to test for T activation.
Results:
Of the 43 infants, 16 infants (37%) had Stage II and 27 (63%) had Stage III NEC. Four infants had trace T activation, two of whom received transfusions with washed red blood cells (RBCs) and two with unwashed RBCs. None had evidence of hemolysis. The overall mortality in this series was 16% (7/43), but none of the four babies with T activation died.
Conclusion:
In this series of Taiwanese infants with NEC, weak T activation was present in only 9% (4/43) of infants, and RBC transfusion did not result in hemolysis, regardless of whether washed or unwashed cells were administered. We considered routine screening for T activation and provision of prepared blood components in infants with NEC in Taiwan might be unnecessary.
