See Also: Rhesus(medicine)
rhesus(dictionary)
Rhesus incompatibility(medicine)
rhesus disease(medicine)
rhesus monkey(encyclopedia)
Rhesus factor(dictionary)
rhesus monkey(dictionary)
Rhesus blood group(medicine)

rhesus (iou)



rhesus noun. E19.
[mod. Latin (Simia) rhesus former taxonomic name of Macaca mulatta (see sense 1 below), from Latin Rhesus, Greek Rhesos, a mythical king of Thrace.]
More fully rhesus monkey, rhesus macaque. A macaque, Macaca mulatta, of southern Asia, widely used in medical research. E19.
Medicine. Used attrib. and in comb. with ref. to a major blood group (first discovered in the rhesus monkey) consisting of three main antigens to which naturally occurring antibodies are rare, and which are usu. implicated in haemolytic disease of the newborn (see rhesus baby below). (Symbol Rh.) M20.
rhesus agglutinogen, rhesus antibody, rhesus antigen, rhesus incompatibility, rhesus system, etc. rhesus baby an infant with haemolytic disease of the newborn owing to destruction of its rhesus-positive blood cells by its rhesus-negative mother's antibodies. rhesus factor any or all of the rhesus antigens, esp. the most important and common one. rhesus negative adjective lacking the main rhesus antigen, and therefore able to produce antibodies to it. rhesus positive adjective having the main rhesus antigen.