Transfusion of incompatible blood in rhesus monkeys and baboons

Four pairs of rhesus monkeys and five pairs of baboons were cross-transfused with large volumes of blood given at intervals varying from 3 weeks to 30 months. Although no acute transfusion reactions were observed, there was a significant reduction in survival rate of the transfused erythrocytes correlated with the level of antibodies in recipient's serum. The immune response of the recipient animal depended on the interval between transfusions and, to some extent, on the number and kind of erythrocyte incompatibilities between the recipient and the donor. These results emphasize the importance of blood group and compatibility testing prior to transfusion.