Hydrops foetalis caused by anti‐Mur in first pregnancy – a case report

Summary Anti‐‘Mi a ’ is the most common alloantibody of potential clinical significance in the Taiwanese population. The Mi .III phenotype is rare among Caucasians but has a high incidence in various Oriental populations. We describe a nulliparous woman with no history of transfusions, who had hydrops foetalis at 28 weeks gestation. Foetal haemoglobin was 4·4 g dL −1 , and a positive direct antiglobulin test was positive in the foetal blood. Intrauterine intravascular transfusion was given, and the baby was discharged healthy. Anti‐‘Mi a ’ was identified in the maternal serum, the cord blood serum and the eluate from red cells of the cord blood. Anti‐‘Mi a ’ in the maternal serum was confirmed to be anti‐Mur. The polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism method confirmed that both the baby and her father had the Mi .III gene. Therefore, our report documents that anti‐Mur has the potential to cause hydrops foetalis.