A direct approach to determine the ABH phenotype of baboons

A simple and rapid method of ABH phenotyping baboons has been developed which takes advantage of the fact that blood group antigens are expressed on epithelial cells. Use of readily available monoclonal antibodies and phycoerythrin-conjugated second antibody permits rapid identification of ABH phenotypes directly on baboon buccal mucosa epithelial cells. This new approach avoids the tedium, time and expense involved in the widely used saliva hemagglutination inhibition assay.