Blood Type Lab
Name: ______________________________________ Date:_________________________
Directions: You are a doctor at Bromen Medical center and you are about to perform surgery
on a patient tomorrow. While doing your pre-surgery prep, you realize you need to have extra
blood on hand since the procedure will cause a great deal of blood loss. You need to figure out
what type of blood the patient can receive and which they cannot before you scrub in! Perform
the activity with your class to find your results.
Choose your teams (should be 3 teams total), and obtain your lab materials. You should have 8
cups per group and label 2 cups A, 2 B and so on following those on the chart. Add red food
coloring to the A cups, Blue to the B cup, on drop red and one drop blue to the AB cup and
leave the O cup clear.
Begin with group "A" and pour one red "A" blood type cups into another "A" blood type cups.
Record in the chart if there is a color change and write YES or No. If you answer YES, those
blood types are incompatible, and your patient could die.
Next, red type "A" pours one cup into a blue type "B" cup. Again, record if the types are
compatible. Then, pour another “A” cup into the purple AB blood type. Finally, red type A will
pour the last cup into type O.
Repeat the steps with type B, AB, and O making sure, for example, when "B" takes his turn, he
does not mix with red type "A" who already poured into B. If you separate the glasses after the
mixture compatibility/color is recorded, this will not be a problem.
A
A
B
AB
O
B
AB
O
1. In general, if a person is Blood type O, which blood type(s) can they give blood to? How
do you know based on the above lab?
AB0 blood grouping system
According to the AB0 blood group system there are four different kinds of blood groups:
A, B, AB or 0 (null).
Blood group A
If you belong to the blood group A, you have A antigens on the surface of your red blood
cells and B antibodies in your blood plasma.
Blood group B
If you belong to the blood group B, you have B antigens on the surface of your red blood
cells and A antibodies in your blood plasma.
Blood group AB
If you belong to the blood group AB, you have both A and B antigens on the surface of
your red blood cells and no A or B antibodies at all in your blood plasma.
Blood group 0
If you belong to the blood group 0 (null), you have neither A or B antigens on the surface
of your red blood cells but you have both A and B antibodies in your blood plasma.
2. What could happen to your patient if you give them the incorrect blood type?
3. Blood types also include positive or negative correlates. These make blood types and
transfusion more specific and prevent a bad transfusion reaction.
According to the chart, blood type AB- can receive blood from which blood type(s)?
4. Which blood type can give blood to all blood types? Which can receive from all blood
types?
Use your book or the internet to complete the next few questions. Remember to only use
reliable sources.
5. What are some other common products of blood donation? What do these donations
do to help others who need them?
6. Is plasma compatibility the same as compatibility for red blood cells?
7. What else can blood typing be used for besides donation and for safe transfusion?
8. The following charts show that the ABO blood type of the child when the blood type of the father
and the mother are known (top chart). The ABO blood type of the father if the blood type of the
child and the mother are known (bottom chart).
A father named Mr. Jones is known to have ABO blood type O and the mother Mrs. Jones has
blood type AB, what blood type must the child have in order for the father in this scenario to be a
paternal match?(use the top chart)
For more information on Blood typing and to further you knowledge, visit
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/landsteiner/readmore.html.
This website contains further explanations and fun interactive games to further your
understanding of this important topic.