Short answer: Historically, blood from non-human animals has been transfused into humans (xenotransfusion), but this practice is now considered unsafe and is not clinically used due to severe immune reactions, risk of infectious disease transmission, and ethical concerns. Modern medicine relies on human blood donations and approved blood products rather than animal blood.
Details
- What xenotransfusion is
- Xenotransfusion refers to transferring blood from one species into a human recipient. Early demonstrations occurred in the 17th century, but the practice rapidly fell out of favor because of dangerous immune responses and poor outcomes. Contemporary research mainly focuses on potential organ xenotransplantation and genetically modified animal organs as alternatives, rather than routine blood transfusion.
- Why animal blood is not used clinically
- Animal blood triggers strong immune reactions in humans, including hyperacute rejection, and carries risks of cross-species infectious agents. Even with advanced genetic modifications in donor animals, substantial biosafety and ethical challenges remain. As a result, there is no accepted clinical protocol for transfusing animal blood into humans today.
- Historical notes
- The earliest documented xenotransfusions occurred in the 1660s, with initial human trials using animal blood, which were later prohibited due to adverse events. These historical cases laid the groundwork for understanding species barriers in transfusion biology.
If you’d like, I can summarize the key ethical and biosafety concerns surrounding xenotransfusion, or compare historical xenotransfusion attempts with current xenotransplantation research.
