-The human immune system has various ways of responding to an infection caused by pathogens like bacteria or viruses.
-Our bodies produce proteins (antibodies) that are highly specific for the infectious agent as a part of our humoral immune response.
-Thus these antibodies help stop the infection from spreading further and help to eliminate the pathogen from the body.
-Antibodies are also used to help our bodies find and destroy “foreign” cell such as COVID-19.
-Antibodies bind tightly to only one type of structure on the surface of cells (antigens), they can also be useful for identifying different types of blood cells.
-Our blood type is determined based on the presence or absence of two different structures, antigen A and antigen B, on the surface of our red blood cells.
-There are four possible combinations of blood types namely: Type A (only antigen A), Type B (only antigen B), Type AB (both antigens A and B), and Type O (neither antigens A nor B). This is referred to as the ABO blood typing system.
Blood types are determined by using antibody reagents that specifically react with the A, B, and Rh antigens on the surface of red blood cells. First, three drops of blood are placed on a microscope slide. Next, a drop of anti-A reagent is added to one drop of blood, a drop of anti-B reagent is added to the second drop of blood and a drop of anti-Rh reagent is added to the third drop of blood. The slide is gently rotated and examined for clumping (agglutination). If clumps are seen in the anti-B and anti-Rh reagents but not the anti-A reagent, then the person’s blood is considered “B positive.” When you donate blood, your blood type is determined by clinical laboratory technicians and is used to match your blood with someone who needs it. If someone got the wrong blood type during a transfusion, they could have a very severe reaction. Type O negative blood is considered the “universal donor” because anyone can receive that blood type without having a reaction. Type AB positive is considered the “universal recipient” because someone with that blood type can receive blood from anyone else without having a reaction.
Questions
- The blood types in the Introduction are for red blood cells. There are other cell types in your blood though. What are the other cell types and do they have the same blood typing systems?
- What blood type is needed for a transfusion for a Type O positive patient?
- What would happen if someone was transfused with an incompatible blood type?
Source: ScienceBuddies.org
I recommend this science kit for the actual experiment: https://www.homesciencetools.com/product/antibodies-simulated-blood-typing-kit/?aff=SB1
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