Blood Case Lab

Unit 10: Blood/Immunology Case Study Lab

What were your three diagnoses?

1. Case 1: Pernicious anemia

2. Case 2: Bacterial or Viral infection

3. Case 3: Normal Blood Smear

Journal Questions for lab

1. In what ways do normal red and white blood cells differ? Normal red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the entire body, and white blood cells defend the body against viruses and infections. There is a much larger density of red blood cells in the blood stream, and white blood cells are larger than red blood cells.

2. Which type of white blood cell would you expect to be most common in a normal blood smear? Neutrophils because they make up 60 to 70 percent of white blood cells.

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. The percentage is about 67 percent. This is an abnormal percentage because it is usually between 20 and 40 percent.

4. Describe the difference between a communicable disease and an inherited disease. Use examples you have studied in this exploration to support your description. A communicable disease is an infectious disease that can be transmitted from one individual to another, an example being mononucleosis because it is transmitted through saliva. An inherited disease is a disease passed through genetics, an example being sickle cell anemia because it is passed down to offspring through genetics.

5. Why are white blood cells in a stained blood smear usually counted at low power under a microscope? Explain your answer. They are counted at a low power because they are much bigger than all other blood cells. If you try to count them on high power, you have to keep moving the slide and will probably lose count. On low power, the other cells...