microbloodlab

Welcome to Dr. Kate Brilakis' Learning Portal

In today's lab, we'll:
1. Review blood types (ABO/Rh)
2. Review ABO/Rh antigen/antibody
reactions
3. Determine our blood type
4. Perform a Wright's stain on a blood smear
5. Learn the name/structure and frequency of five white blood cells (WBCs):
a. Neutrophils
b. Lympocytes
c. Monocytes
d. Eosinophils
e. Basophils

Applications:
1. analyze blood smears for hematological conditions
2. count/identify white blood cells for diagnosis
3. examine red blood cells for diagnosis
4. detect the presence of parasites

blood plasma antibodies are the opposite of the blood cell antigens

5

Rh antigen absent = (-)

release histamine/heparin

blood type test

let's look

at RBCs

immature RBCs have a nucleus.
as they mature, they enucleate.
the ejected nucleus is engulfed by macrophages. this adaptation allows red blood cells to maximize their oxygen-carrying capacity by fitting in loads of hemoglobin and increases the RBC's flexibility to get through narrow capillaries.

agranular leukocyteshave few or no granules.
Monocytes and lymphocytes are agranular.
B & T lymphocytes (B cells/T cells)
defend the body against specific pathogens and as such confer specific immunity.

fight viral infections

1

each RBC contains 270 million hemoglobin molecules...each can carry four oxygen molecules.

summary

blood cell antigens
(recognition proteins)

determine

blood types

anti-A, anti-B and anti-Rh
antibodies are impregnated on the card.
Blood added to the card will clot if the blood exhibits antigens
on its cell surfaces which bind to the
antibodies on the card.

let's look

at WBCs

antibody serum used to test for agglutination

blood typing and analysis

fight bacterial infections

type A type B type AB type O

fight parasitic infections

Eldon card

human blood

Procedure:
1. Prepare the slide by making a thin blood smear on it
2. Fix the slide with methanol to prevent cell lysis
3. Stain the smear is stained with Wright's stain
4. Rinse the slide with distilled water to remove excess stain.
5. Observe the slide using a light microscope

4

someWBCs contain granules
Granules
are tiny vacuoles containing enzymes used to defend against pathogens, reduce inflammation and destroy cells.
Granulocytes are part of the
innate immune system

Wright's stain
is a hematological stain used to differentiate blood cell types. The stain is an eosin/methylene blue dye.
Methylene blue stains nuclei blue/purple
Eosin stains hemoglobin and granules red/orange