Is it possible for a virus to affect only one blood type?

[Rocketman]

Me and a friend were arguing about this today, since we're both hooked on Y: The Last Man, and we took the "What If?" scenarios to ridiculous levels.

Say a new, mutated strain of ebola (or something completely new to science) developed over time, but it only affected those with a specific blood type.

For instance, people who are AB Negative. Since only 1% of America is AB Negative, roughly 3 million people would be affected by this virus, and no one else. Is that possible? Is there something different in the AB Negative blood that would react?

Or, for the sake of argument, those with AB Negative blood were immune, and were the only people in the US/world who were immune.

If it spread across the world, and roughly 1% of the world population is AB Negative, 69 million people in the world would be immune, while everyone else dies. Is that possible?

I personally think it's impossible, because while blood may have different types, all blood is the same. My friend says otherwise. He thinks, if a virus like this were to exist in reality, that this could actually happen.

Any thoughts from the Science people of SHH?

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Edit: I checked and apparently Norovirus(usually causes food poisoning) infects blood type O more easily than the other 3. So there is some basis for blood-type susceptibility but for a virus to attack only a certain blood type sounds unlikely

 

[Rocketman]

Edit: I checked and apparently Norovirus(usually causes food poisoning) infects blood type O more easily than the other 3. So there is some basis for blood-type susceptibility but for a virus to attack only a certain blood type sounds unlikely

Thank you!

I suppose if this "fictional virus" I'm talking about would also affect the other 3 types in a small way, it might be possible. Like, if the virus made all blood types sick with terrible flu-like symptoms, but actually killed only AB Negative people. That way, everyone is affected, but wouldn't be in immediate danger like AB Negative would be.

A silly thread, I know. Viruses fascinate me.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

After the other three blood types were infected by your fictional virus, would they be immune afterwards?

Viruses are amazing

 

[Colossal Spoons]

It would be more likely to have a virus infect people based on their rhesus factors(+ or -). That would wipe out many more people!

 

[Rocketman]

After the other three blood types were infected by your fictional virus, would they be immune afterwards?

If history suggests that that's common. Realistically, that's how chicken pox works, right? Even though you can get it later in life, getting it once pretty much makes you immune in the future.

It would be more likely to have a virus infect people based on their rhesus factors(+ or -). That would wipe out many more people!

This piqued my interest:

Type A - Only the A protein is present.
Type B - Only the B protein is present.
Type AB - Both proteins are present.
Type O - Neither protein is present (almost 40% of the population).

A third protein called the Rh Factor (named for its discovery in the
blood of a Rhesus Monkey) determines whether the type is positive or
negative. If the Rh protein is in the blood it is considered positive and if the protein is absent the type is classified as negative. So now you can guess...

Only about 1% of the population has an AB Negative blood type. The
type is indeed quite rare but this does not necessarily preclude an AB
Negative person from receiving an urgent transfusion from certain

So, back in Fiction Land, the virus could be harmful to those who have both A and B proteins (AB+ or AB-), but people without the Rh protein could survive. Everyone else gets killed, lol.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Certain viruses grant the host immunity after the initial infection, but others like Rhinovirus and it's billion variations that cause the common cold do not.

Yeah, a Rh selective virus would cause some serious damage.