Name______________________________________
BLOOD, LYMPHATIC SYSTEM & MICROORGANISM LAB
The circulatory system, lymphatic system, and microorganisms are intimately related. In this exercise,
we will explore these relationships along with details on the structure and functions of each. This
laboratory exercise offers you the opportunity to explore structure and function of the lymphatic system
and the world of microorganisms.
Objectives
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4.
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8.
Visualize and determine the differences between erythrocytes, and leucocytes, and platelets.
Distinguish the different types of leucocytes
Identify sickled erythrocytes and the implications for sickle cell disease
Explain the difference between the terms antigen and antibody.
Describe the ABO blood typing system and the implications for donation and transfusion.
View and identify organs of the lymphatic system and their microscopic components
Relate the circulatory system and lymphatic system in terms of their structure and function
Compare and contrast the first, second, and third line of defense and the cells and chemicals
involved in each
9. Differentiate between active and passive immunization
10. Characterize bacteria
Part 1. Blood
Erythrocytes and Leukocytes
1. Obtain a prepared microscope slide of human blood.
2. View at 400X and then under oil immersion. (See Microscope Lab for instructions. Always start at
scanning power!)
3. Sketch what you see. Label the erythrocytes, platelets and three different types of leucocytes their
names. (1 point)
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4. Make an alphabetical list of every type of leukocyte and state the function of each. Use your text or
other resources. Fun tutorial: http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/content/chp18/1802001.html
(2 points)
Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell
disease make hemoglobin S or C. Red blood cells containing mostly hemoglobin S do not live as long as
normal red blood cells (normally about 16 days). They also become stiff, distorted in shape and have
difficulty passing through the body’s small blood vessels. When sickle-shaped cells block small blood
vessels, less blood can reach that part of the body. Tissue that does not receive a normal blood flow
eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disease. There is
currently no universal cure for sickle cell disease.
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Video we may have watched in class: Natural Selection of Humans with more about sickle-cell
disease and its genetics
1. Obtain a slide of sickled blood.
2. View at 400X and then under oil immersion.
3. Sketch a portion of the sample and label sickled and normal cells. Really look carefully; not all will be
sickled. (1 point)
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Blood Typing
The most well-known and medically important blood types are in the ABO group. Karl Landsteiner
discovered them in 1900 at the University of Vienna. All humans and many other primates can be typed
for the ABO blood group. There are four principal types: A, B, AB, and O. There are two antigens and two
antibodies that are mostly responsible for the ABO types. The specific combination of these four
components determines an individual's type in most cases.
It is easy to determine an individual's ABO type from a few drops of blood. A serum containing antibody
A (anti-A) is mixed with some of the blood. Another serum with antibody B (anti-B) is mixed with
another sample. Whether or not agglutination occurs in either sample indicates the blood type. For
instance, if an individual's blood sample is agglutinated by antibody A, but not antibody B, it means that
the A antigen is present but not the B antigen. Therefore, the blood type is A.
Rh factor is another red blood cell surface protein. A person can have two copies of Rh+, two copies of
Rh- (meaning no antigen is made), or one copy of each. When an Rh- individual makes contact with the
Rh+ factor (as is the case with an Rh- fetus carried by an Rh- mother), the Rh factor is recognized as
foreign, and an immune response begins and small amounts of Rh antibodies and lymphocytes are made.
Keep in mind that the fetus’s blood and the mother’s blood do not mix during the gestation, but they do
during the birthing process, so a future contact with the antigen signals circulating antibodies to create
an intense and effective attack against the Rh+ factor.
O positive is the most common blood type. Not all ethnic groups have the same mix of these blood types.
Hispanic people, for example, have a relatively high number of O’s, while Asian people have a relatively
high number of B’s. The mix of the different blood types in the U.S. population is:
O+
OA+
AB+
BAB +
AB -
Caucasians
37%
8%
33%
7%
9%
2%
3%
1%
African American
47%
4%
24%
2%
18%
1%
4%
0.3%
Hispanic
53%
4%
29%
2%
9%
1%
2%
0.2%
Asian
39%
1%
27%
0.5%
25%
0.4%
7%
0.1%
Some patients require a closer blood match than that provided by the ABO positive/negative blood
typing. For example, sometimes if the donor and recipient are from the same ethnic background the
chance of a reaction can be reduced. That’s why an African-American blood donation may be the best
hope for the needs of patients with sickle cell disease, 98 percent of whom are of African-American
descent.
It’s inherited. Like eye color, blood type is passed genetically from your parents. Whether your blood
group is type A, B, AB or O is based on the blood types of your mother and father.
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I will guide you in the process of typing your blood.
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HANDLE ONLY YOUR OWN BLOOD! NO ONE MAY DRAW YOUR BLOOD FOR YOU!
YOU MUST DO THE PROCEDURES QUICKLY USING ONE LANCET ONE TIME.
4. Answer these questions
a. What is your blood type? (.5 point)
b. Describe how a particular blood antigen composition would respond to receiving a noncompatible blood type (the transfusion reaction). (.5 point)
c. Define the terms antigen and antibody. (.5 point)
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5. Complete this chart (1 point)
Can donate to
Can receive from
Type A
Type B
Type AB
Type O
Hemoglobin
Follow your instructor’s directions for this exercise and record your readings on the answer sheet.
Your hemoglobin reading
_______________ (.5 point)
Part 2. Lymphatic System
1. View the slides of the lymphatic system. Sketch them at 100x magnification and label three
structures on each. (1 point each)
a. Tonsil
b. Spleen
c. Thymus
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2. Explain how the lymphatic system is physiologically and anatomically related to the cardiovascular
system. (.5 point)
Part 3. Nonspecific Body Defenses
1. Name and explain three ways the integumentary system provides the first line of defense. (.5 point)
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2. Explain the protective role of cilia. From what primary tissue type do cilia arise? (.5 point)
3. Define and sketch the process of phagocytosis. (1 point)
4. Name and sketch two cell types that perform phagocytosis. (.5 point)
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5. Describe the process involved in the inflammatory response. Include all chemicals and cell types. (1
point)
6. Explain and sketch the mechanism by which complement kills bacteria. (.5 point)
Part 4. Specific Body Defenses (4)
1. What is the major histocompatibility complex? What is its function? Where is it? (.5 point)
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2. Describe and sketch the basic structure of an antibody. How many different types of antibodies do
you have in your body? (.5 point)
3. Describe and sketch clonal expansion. (.5 point)
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4. How does interferon operate? (.5 point)
5. What is the difference between cell mediated and antibody mediated immune response? (.5 point)
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6. Name the cells involved in the cell mediated immune response. (.5 point)
7. Name the cells involved in the antibody mediate immune response. (.5 point)
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8. Explain the difference between passive immunization and active immunization an give an example
of each. (.5 point)
Part 5. Microbiology
1. Bacteria. From the slides provided to you today, choose two types of bacteria you are interested in.
a. View on oil immersion, and sketch, on a separate sheet of paper, as well as you can.
b. Find your bacteria names on the Bacterial Classification Chart. You will see them listed by genus,
the first word in the scientific name.
c. “Characterize” your bacteria type using the chart and the example below. In the chart,
commonly found and easily-grown types of bacteria are sorted out based on various "primary
tests". Since most details on bacterial cell structure cannot be discerned using light microscopes
(bacteria cells are so small, about the size of a mitochondrion) this system is used.
Characterization example: Pseudomonas aeroginosa: A gram-negative aerobic rod-shaped
bacterium which does not form endospores, it performs catalase, benzidine and oxidase reactions
and does not metabolize glucose.
This description comes from finding the bacterial type on the chart, finding the column with the “X”
then following the “X” up. The description written in +, -, or words tells you the characteristics of the
bacterial type. Plus mean it does or has that quality, minus means that action or quality is absent.
Notes:
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The benzidine test determines the presence of iron-porphyrin compounds such as cytochromes.
Some organisms possess the enzyme cytochrome a3 oxidase as part of the electron transport
system in respiration.
The Gram staining method is one of the most important staining techniques in microbiology. It is
almost always the first test performed for the identification of bacteria. Gram staining is based
on the ability of bacteria cell wall to retain crystal violet dye during treatment. The cell walls for
Gram-positive microorganisms have a higher peptidoglycan and lower lipid content than gramnegative bacteria. Gram+ cells absorb more dye and appear purple, Gram- cells absorb less and
appear pink.
Anaerobic vs. aerobic growth distinguishes types of metabolism as without oxygen or with.
Endospores, cells with tough coverings, form in some bacteria allowing dormancy for long
periods of time.
Please note: not all life utilizes carbohydrates (in the form of glucose in this chart) for energy.
Write characterizations of two bacterial types here. (2 points)
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