Chapter 11 Blood Analysis Vocabulary

1. Hemoglobin – the oxygen carrier that gives red blood cells

their color. It is composed of four globin (protein) chains,
each with a heme group.
2. False positive – a test result that comes out positive when it
is not.
3. Chemiluminescence – the emission of light from a chemical
reaction. Within an organism such as a firefly, it is called
bioluminescence.
4. Precipitin Test – test that distinguishes between human and
animal blood
5. Serum – a liquid that separates from clotted blood
6. Antigen – foreign substance or cell in the body that is
capable of causing disease or reacts with antibodies. The
presence of antigens triggers an immune response, usually
antibody production.
7. Agglutinate – an allergic reaction, generally antigen-
antibody, where red blood cells clump together, usually in
response to a particular antibody.
8. Antiserum – human or animal serum containing antibodies
that are specific for one or more antigens.
9. Serology – the laboratory study of body fluids using specific
antigen and serum antibody reactions.
10. Plasma – the fluid portion of blood, obtained by centrifuging
a sample of whole blood.
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11. Platelets
– cell fragments that help form blood clots at wound
sites. Also called thrombocytes.
12. Erythrocytes
– red blood cells – donut-shaped cells that
carry oxygen throughout the body.
13. Leukocytes– white blood cells – cells that police the body by
destroying foreign materials.
14. ABO– a basic classification system for blood types based
upon the reaction of antigens and antibodies.
15. Rhfactor – a basic blood factor, independent of ABO types.
Mothers must be concerned about the Rh factor during
pregnancies for second and subsequent children, because
agglutination can occur in an Rh+ embryo. This is called
erythroblastosis fetalis and can kill the fetus.
16. Blood
factors – a specific combination of antigens, enzymes,
and proteins in the blood.
17. Secretors– people whose blood type antigens are also
found in other body fluids.
18. Antibodies – proteins secreted by white blood cells and
attach to specific antigens. In the blood or secretory fluids,
antibodies tag, destroy, or neutralize bacteria, viruses, or
other harmful toxins, producing an immune response. When
a rabbit is injected with human blood, antibodies are
produced to fight the foreign invader. The rabbit serum
containing these antibodies is used in the precipitin test. The
“fight” results in agglutination, much like a chemical
precipitation.

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19. Cell-surface protein – proteins embedded in the cell
membrane.
20. Allele
– one member of a pair of genes occupying a specific
spot on a chromosome that controls the same trait. For
example, a pair of alleles may control the same trait such as
eye color.
21. Metabolites
– organic molecules involved in the process of
metabolism, which is defined as the sum of all chemical
processes occurring in an organism.
22. Linesof convergence – a two-dimensional view of the
intersection of lines formed by drawing a line through the
main axis of at least two drops of blood that indicates the
general area of the source of the blood spatter.
23. Pointof origin – a three-dimensional view formed using lines
of convergence and angles of impact of at least two different
drops of blood to identify the source of location of blood
spatter.
24. Satellite
drop of blood – secondary drop formed when some
blood breaks free from the main contact drop of blood.