Background: The routine prenatal determination of fetal RhD blood group would be very useful in the management of pregnancies in RhD-negative women, as up to 40% of these pregnancies bear a RhD-negative fetus. The fetal DNA present in maternal plasma offers an opportunity for risk-free prenatal diagnosis.
Aim: This study focused on the feasibility and accuracy of large-scale RhD fetal diagnosis in non-immunized and anti-D immunized RhD-negative women.
Methods: Plasma DNA was extracted from 893 RhD-negative pregnant women and amplified in exons 7 and 10 of the RHD gene using conventional and real-time PCR. The results were then compared with the RHD fetal genotype determined on amniotic cells and/or the RhD phenotype of the red blood cells of the infants at birth.
Results: After exclusion of 42 samples from women exhibiting a nonfunctional or rearranged RHD gene, fetal RhD status was predicted with a 99.5% accuracy. A strategy is also proposed to avoid the small number of false-positive and -negative results.
Conclusion: Fetal RHD genotyping from maternal plasma DNA in different clinical situations may be used with confidence.