The occurrence of different forms of serum proteins or antibodies in different individuals of the same species due to genetic variation.
From Greek 'allo' (other) + 'typos' (type). This immunological term was coined in the 20th century to describe protein polymorphisms discovered through blood serum analysis.
Allotypy explains why some blood transfusions work perfectly for one person but could cause problems for another—their antibodies are genetically different at the molecular level!
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