Blood Immunology Case Study

Unit 10: Blood/Immunology Case Study Lab

What were your three diagnoses?

1. Case 1: Malaria

2. Case 2: Normal Blood Smear

3. Case 3: Pernicious Anemia

Journal Questions for lab

1. In what ways do normal red and white blood cells differ?

RBCs carry oxygen throughout the body from the pulmonary arteries as well as bring carbon dioxide back to it. WBCs make antibodies to build an immunity to infections. RBCs also have a longer lifespan than WBCs.

2. Which type of white blood cell would you expect to be most common in a normal blood smear?

One should expect to find more neutrophil cells in a normal blood smear.

3. A differential count of white blood cells from a patient gave the absolute number of lymphocytes as 8000 per mm3 and the total number of white blood cells as 12,000 per mm3. Calculate the percentage of lymphocytes in this sample of white blood cells. Is this a normal or abnormal percentage? Explain your answer.

In this sample 66.67% of the WBCs are lymphocytes. In a normal blood cell about 20%-40% of WBCs are lymphocytes; based on this information the sample as an abnormal percentage of lymphocytes.

4. Describe the difference between a communicable disease and an inherited disease. Use examples you have studied in this exploration to support your description.

Communicable diseases are spread form person-to-person, people with no prior relation; malaria for example is a communicable disease. Inherited diseases aren’t spread but passed through families by way of genes; an example of an inherited disease is sickle-cell anemia.

5. Why are white blood cells in a stained blood smear usually counted at low power under a microscope? Explain your answer.

WBCs in a stained blood smear are counted a low power because they are significantly larger than other cells. If one tries to count WBCs on a high power they will likely become confused or lose count of cells because the will...