BLOOD TYPES
On a cold day in 1667, a renegade physician
named Jean Denis transfused calf's blood
into one of Paris's most notorious madmen. In
doing so, Denis angered not only the elite
scientists who had hoped to perform the first
animal-to-human transfusions themselves,
but also a host of powerful conservatives who
believed that the doctor was toying with
forces of nature that he did not understand.
Just days after the experiment, the madman
was dead, and Denis was framed for murder.
he ordeal resulted in the ban of human blood
transfusions in France unless approved by
the Paris Faculty of Medicine. Denis was
ultimately cleared of the charges, but soon
after ceased to practice medicine.
1901 - Austrian Karl
Landsteiner discovered
human blood groups
Before this time, blood
transfusions were
performed, but doctors
did not understand why
patients would die.
Even animals have blood types
Blood Type is Controlled by 3
Alleles 4 Possible Blood Types
Alleles: A, B, O
A & B are codominant
O is recessive
Genotypes
Consider Both Parents
Type A (genotype AA) x Type O (genotype
OO)
Blood Type Antigens
Blood that has antibodies on it
that is not recognized by the
body will be attacked by your
immune system
O is the Universal Donor because a person
with this type of blood does not have antigens
on the surface of the blood cells - hence will
not cause an immune reaction in the patient.
AB is the Universal Acceptor because this
person will not have an immune reaction to
A, B, AB, or O
----- AGGLUTINATION (the clumping of red
blood cells following a transfusion reaction;
likely fatal
Rh Factor
Rh Factor (Rh = rhesus monkey)
A person can have surface Rh antigens
(and be Rh +) or no antigens (and be Rh - )
Rh factor is caused by a dominant allele
and is inherited like any other trait.
Rh Factor
A person can either be Rh + or Rh –
(positive is dominant)
Rh Factor and Pregnancy
*Problem: When a fetus is Rh+ and the
mother is Rh-, this can cause the mother’s
immune system to attack the fetus. There
are drugs that will suppress this reaction.
*This condition is called Erythroblastosis fetalis . Doctors
can prevent this reaction by giving the woman ( Rh - ) an
injection that will suppress her immune reaction to an Rh +
baby.
*This condition is
called Erythroblastosis
fetalis . Doctors can prevent
this reaction by giving the
woman ( Rh - ) an injection
that will suppress her immune
reaction to an Rh + baby.
Blood Type Test
Blood can carry diseases and health care professionals must
be careful when working with blood. A bloodborne pathogen is
any disease causing agent that is present in the blood and
can be transferred from one person to another.
Examples of blood borne pathogens: Hepatitis B and C, HIV,
and Malaria
Blood Safety
EXAMPLES OF BLOODBORNE
PATHOGENS
●HEPATITIS B (HBV)
●HEPATITIS C (HCV)
●Other NON A, NON B HEPATITIS
●HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)
●MALARIA
●OTHER POTENTIALLY INFECTIOUS MATERIALS
TRANSMISSION
HIV, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus
are the viruses most likely to be transmitted
via the following routes in an occupational
setting:
needle stick / sharps injuries skin or eye
contact mucous membrane and non-intact
skin exposure to contaminated blood or
other potentially infectious materials
( scratches, cuts, bites, or wounds )
Avoid Contact With Blood
●Wear gloves
●Dispose of items that have been
contaminated (tissues, needles, bandaids)
in biohazard containers
●Do not “horse around”
●Treat every person as if they may be
carrying an infectious disease