ABO, H, Lewis and Secretor histo-blood group-like carbohydrates in pathogenic and non-pathogenic invertebrates

ABO, H, Lewis, and Secretor histo-blood group systems express a repertoire of carbohydrate antigens in human hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic tissues. The oligosaccharide components of these systems are widely distributed in nature, including animal and plants. A set of reports demonstrated that pathogenic and non-pathogenic invertebrates are able to synthesize and or acquire histo-blood group-like carbohydrates from hosts. These abilities seem to be related to strategies for cell invasion as well as scape from host’s innate and adaptive immune responses. This text revised the literature and offers a tentative explanation for the presence of histo-blood group-like carbohydrates in pathogenic and non-pathogenic invertebrates and its importance in terms of evolution.