Blood type A B C D Table 1.

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4 5 3 12

Blood typing is a process on how to classify blood type group into A, B, AB, and O. This classification into groups is dependent upon agglutination of blood cells. In our experiment, we were able to determine our blood types by using anti-A and anti-B sera. These sera worked in a way when its added in blood sample there is agglutination (clumped together) happen as a positive indicator for your blood type. What happened here was, our blood cells are said to contain two substances called agglutinogens and agglutinins; wherein, agglutinogens or antigens are substances in the surfaces of red blood cells that are designated in capital letters, while agglutinins or antibodies are substances in the plasma which induce adhesion or clumping together of cells. As our data shows, blood type O has the highest percentage in number and blood type AB to be rare type in our class. Like what we did, having two the same drops of blood in a slide added with sera, what happened was, when there was no agglutination for both sera this meant that the blood sample was neither negative for A nor B type. Thus, it was in type O group. Meanwhile, if the anti-B serum has agglutinated with the blood, it is an indication that the blood is type B with the presence of that antigen. Likewise with anti-A serum. And if both serums have positive result, it is then an AB blood type. This showed that, if antigen A meets antibody a, or when antigen B meets antibody b, agglutination takes place. On the other hand, blood group characteristic is inherited. Wherein, two of the three alleles ABO are found in the diploid chromosome complement of each individual which then determine the blood group phenotype. Also, alleles A and B are dominant and that O is expressed as a phenotype only when homozygotic. And that, it is not that much possible that a child is blood type A if his parents are blood type O!

In blood transfusions (Griffiths, 1981), the individuals of type O are known to be universal donor because of absence of antigens while those types AB are universal recipients because blood contains no antibodies (see Table 2).

Group name

Agglutinogens Agglutinins (antigens) (antibodies) O OO anti-A and anti-B A OA/AA A anti-B B OB/BB B anti-A AB AB A and B Table 2. Blood antigens and antibodies (Thibodeau and Patton, 1993)

Genotype

However, based from Schmidt and Thews (1983), there was an argument raised within individuals with blood type O as universal donor as it was given to recipients of other groups.
..It is true that the A and B antigenic activity of group O erythrocytes is absent or negligible so that practically any desired quantity of O erythrocytes can be transferred to recipients of other group without causing a reaction. But because group O plasma contains agglutinins against A and B erythrocytes, only a limited amount of plasma can be transferred without reaction. When larger volumes are transfused, the donor agglutinins are not sufficiently diluted by the recipients plasma and the recipients erythrocytes are extensively agglutinated.