To avoid waste and to achieve the balance of plasma and red cells required by patients, we manage AB negative donations differently to other blood groups. This is because female donors (especially those who have been pregnant) can develop antibodies that, while no danger to themselves, can prove life threatening to patients transfused with their plasma.
Plasma from AB negative donations can help treat patients of all blood types, however fresh frozen plasma is only produced from male donations. AB negative donations are extremely versatile, but because it is the rarest blood type finding new donors can be a challenge.