There has been some speculation and curiosity around whether humans can receive blood donations from gorillas. Gorillas are our closest living relatives, sharing approximately 98% of our DNA, so it may seem plausible that their blood could be compatible with ours. However, there are several important factors to consider before attempting gorilla-to-human blood transfusions.
Quick Answers
- Humans cannot safely receive blood donations from gorillas due to biological incompatibility.
- While gorilla and human blood types have some overlap, there are still substantial differences that would lead to adverse reactions.
- Ethical concerns around exploiting endangered gorillas would also preclude gorilla-to-human blood donation.
- More research would be needed to fully understand the immunological compatibility between gorilla and human blood.
Comparing Gorilla and Human Blood Types
Gorillas and humans have some overlapping blood types but there are still significant differences that would likely cause adverse reactions if their blood was mixed.
Gorilla Blood Types
Gorillas have three main blood type possibilities:
| Blood Type | Frequency |
|---|---|
| B | 61% |
| AB | 36% |
| O | 3% |
As we can see, the most common gorilla blood type is B, followed by AB. Gorillas with blood type A are extremely rare.
Human Blood Types
In humans, the most common blood types are:
| Blood Type | Frequency |
|---|---|
| O | 44% |
| A | 42% |
| B | 10% |
| AB | 4% |
Type O is the most frequent, followed by A.
Key Differences
So while both humans and gorillas can share blood type B and AB, the frequencies are quite different. The most common human blood type, O, is extremely rare in gorillas. Conversely, type A is very common in humans but rare in gorillas.
This mismatch in frequencies means it would be exceptionally difficult to find compatible gorilla-human matches. Even with type B or AB, there may still be incompatibility within the Rh blood group system.
Immunological Reactions
Beyond just the blood type, there are likely other immunological factors that would cause a negative reaction if gorilla blood was transfused into a human.
When a human receives incompatible blood, it can trigger a severe immunological response. The human immune system recognizes foreign proteins or cells in the donor blood and attacks them.
This is why blood transfusions must be carefully matched for blood type as well as screened for pathogens – to prevent adverse reactions.
Hyperacute Rejection
With gorilla blood, even if the blood type matches, hyperacute rejection is likely to occur. Hyperacute rejection happens within 24 hours of transfusion due to pre-existing antibodies against the donor.
Humans have antibodies against gorilla blood cells and proteins. When exposed to gorilla blood, these antibodies would bind to and destroy the foreign gorilla blood cells.
This could cause fever, blood pressure changes, kidney failure and potentially life-threatening shock.
Acute Hemolytic Reaction
If immediate hyperacute rejection does not occur, acute hemolytic reaction could still happen within 1-24 days of the gorilla blood transfusion.
This is when the recipient’s antibodies attack and destroy the donor red blood cells. The destroyed cells release their contents into the blood stream, causing complications such as:
- Fever
- Chills
- Chest pain
- Back pain
- Blood in urine
- Kidney failure
This delayed immunological reaction could be fatal if not treated promptly.
Risk of Zoonotic Diseases
Giving gorilla blood to humans also carries risks of transmitting zoonotic diseases – illnesses that can spread between animals and people.
Gorillas may harbor infectious pathogens that do not cause clinical illness in them but could be dangerous to humans. These include:
Herpes B Virus
Up to 80% of wild gorillas carry herpes B virus. This virus rarely causes issues in gorillas but can be deadly for humans, leading to severe brain inflammation and death if untreated.
There have been documented cases of humans acquiring herpes B from primate bites and scratches. Gorilla blood could easily transmit this virus.
Ebola
Gorillas are susceptible to Ebola, a often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever in humans for which there is no cure. Transferring gorilla blood could potentially transmit Ebola to humans.
Malaria
Gorillas can be infected with malaria parasites, including Plasmodium falciparum – the most dangerous malaria species for humans. A gorilla blood transfusion could transmit this potentially deadly protozoan parasite.
Prions
Abnormal prion proteins that cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) could also theoretically be transmitted through gorilla blood. TSEs are fatal neurodegenerative disorders like Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans. More research is needed around whether gorillas harbor prionic diseases.
Ethical Concerns
Beyond the biomedical challenges, there are also ethical arguments against harvesting gorilla blood for human use.
Gorillas are an endangered species with total population estimates between 95,000-100,000. Removing blood from wild gorillas would be extremely risky for their survival. Meanwhile, extracting blood from captive gorillas raises animal welfare concerns.
The great apes are our closest genetic relatives with complex emotional lives. Subjecting them to blood collection solely for human benefit would be unethical. It would treat them as resources rather than sentient beings.
Exploitation of Endangered Species
Gorillas face habitat loss, poaching, diseases and climate change threatening their existence. The mountain gorilla subspecies has a population under 1,000 individuals. Taking blood from endangered wild gorillas could harm both individuals and populations.
Risk to Captive Gorillas
Extracting blood from captive gorillas in zoos or research institutes also exposes them to risks from repeat anesthesia and blood draws. This non-therapeutic procedure solely benefits humans and provides no benefit the gorilla subjects.
Slippery Slope
Allowing any exploitation of captive great apes to harvest blood, tissues or other fluids could lead to further unethical practices. Stringent laws exist to protect primates from being used as biomedical resources.
Conclusion
While gorilla blood donation to humans may seem scientifically intriguing, there are substantial risks and ethical concerns that preclude this practice.
Due to incompatible blood types, probable immunological reactions, likelihood of zoonotic diseases, and exploitation of an endangered species, transfusion of gorilla blood into humans should not be pursued.
More research could be done on synthetic blood substitutes that mimic some beneficial properties of gorilla blood without harming gorillas or requiring transfusion. However, directly harvesting gorilla blood for human medical use is riddled with problems and ethical quagmires.
For the foreseeable future, humans cannot viably or ethically receive blood donations from our closest primate cousins. Routine blood transfusions will continue relying on human donors alone.