BMS 100 Blood Lab Instructions
    General Precautions
  • No eating, drinking, or handling of cosmetics or contact lenses.
  • Do all work on the covered surfaces of your lab table only.
  • If you spill blood, squirt bleach on it and inform the instructor.
  • Dispose of all contaminated materials in the receptacles marked “Biohazard.”
      Hematocrit
    1. If blood is placed in a centrifuge and “spun down,” the formed elements with the greatest density, which are normally the red blood cells, will sediment to the outside (bottom) of the tube.
    2. Hematocrit is the percentage (by volume) of red blood cells in the blood.





    Blood Typing

  • Note the antigens and antibodies that are present in type A, B, AB, and O blood.


  • When blood cells bearing antigens are mixed with blood that contains the corresponding antibodies, an agglutination reaction occurs. For example, if type A blood is transfused into a type B individual, the anti-A antibodies bind the "type A" cells together -- "agglutination."





    Click here for Blood Type Animation

    • * If agglutination occurs in indentation A, then the A antigen is present.
    * If agglutination does not occur in indentation A, then the A antigen is not present.

    * If agglutination occurs in indentation B, then the B antigen is present.
    * If agglutination does not occur in indentation B, then the B antigen is not present.

    * If agglutination occurs in the Rh (D) indentation, then the Rh antigen is present and the blood type is “positive.”
    * If agglutination does not occur in the Rh (D) indentation, then the Rh antigen is not present and the blood type is “negative.”
    Approximate Percentages of Blood Types in the U.S.
    Blood Type European African Asian
    O 45 48 36
    A 41 27 28
    B 10 21 23
    AB 4 4 1

    Blood Types Ranked by Percent
    O+ 38.5%
    A+ 34.3%
    B+ 8.6%
    O- 6.5%
    A- 5.7%
    AB+ 4.3%
    B- 1.7%
    AB- 0.7%

    Differential WBC Count
    1. Slowly scan the slide with a systematic back-and-forth movement and tally leukocytes in the "in your group" section of your worksheet.
    2. Once you have counted at least twenty (20) leukocytes (or upon instructor request), enter your leukocyte tallies (counts) onto the spreadsheet on the computer on the front table.
    3. After all students have entered their data, copy the percentage "in entire class" (from spreadsheet) of each type of leukocyte onto your Lab Response Sheet.
    4. Remove the slide from the microscope and return the microscope to the appropriate location.
    leukocyte type description appearance
    neutrophil nucleus with many lobes (sections); numerous lightly-stained smaller granules
    eosinophil (very rare; please confirm prior to tallying) large red granules; lobed nucleus
    basophil (very rare; please confirm prior to tallying) large, dark granules and lobed nucleus
    lymphocyte large round nucleus (almost fills cell)
    monocyte larger nucleus, appears U- or kidney-shaped
      When finished with all experiments:
    • remove white paper at your table and discard in the large trash can
    • wipe your lab table with a bleach solution
    • wash your hands
    Fall 2010