Identify your blood group with help of kit? (AS 3)

Aim: To identify our blood group with the help of a kit.

Materials required: blood group test kit, cotton, 70% alcohol, toothpicks.

Kit components:

Procedure:

a) Take a perfectly clean porciline plate and with a wax pencil, draw 3 circles on the plate. Label each of the circle as Anti-A, anti-B and anti-RhD respectively.

b) Place one drop of the corresponding antiserum inside, near the edges of the circle.

c) Clean your ring finger tip with cotton and alcohol and using a needle, quickly prick the fingertip.

d) Let one drop of blood into each circle without touching and accidentally mixing the serum.

e) Using a toothpick, gently mix the blood with the antiserum. Use a fresh toothpick for every circle to avoid mixing of the antiserum.

f) Watch to see if any samples show clumping.

Observation:

It will be observed that clumping will start taking place in either of the circles.

Explanation:

The Clumping is caused due to agglutination of the RBCs. The RBCs contain the specific protein on the cell surface that determines the blood group of the individual. The anti-sera will act on the corresponding protein, whether A or B, and cause its agglutination.

Anti-A, B sera cause agglutination in blood group A and b respectively, while blood group AB will show agglutination in both the circles. If the RhD circle shows agglutination, there are Rh factors present, else absent. A/B blood group is independent of Rh factor.

Result:

We can determine the blood group by referring to the circles and observing any grainy clumps.

Precautions:

a) Do not repeat the same needle for pricking.

b) Do not use the needle for anything else prior to pricking the finger.

c) Use sterilized cotton.

d) Use different toothpicks to mix the contents in different circles.