Download What`s Wrong With this Blood?

Characteristics of
Normal Human
Blood
Characteristics of Normal Red Blood
Cells (RBC’s)
Disc
shaped
They stain red
Contain no nucleus as mature
cells
We have about 5 million
rbc’s/mm3 (a drop of blood)
and live to 125 days.
Normal Human RBC’s(Electron microscope-color)
Characteristics of Normal White
Blood Cells (WBC’s)
Contain
a single nucleus
Twice as large as an RBC
They stain blue or purple
Blood contains 10,000
3
wbc/mm and live for 9
days.
White Blood Cell
Characteristics of Normal Platelets
Contain one to many nuclei
They occur in ‘clumps’
Stain deep blue/purple
Blood contains 140,000 to
400,000 platelets/mm3 and
they live for 10 days

Platelets
What’s Wrong With this
Blood?
Blood Slide 1: Normal human blood
Blood Slide 2-sickle cell anemia
FACTS
Inherited
 RBCs rupture easily
 Results in extreme fatigue
 Provides protection against malaria

Blood Slide 3: Anemia
Normal
FACTS
Usually caused by diet low in iron
 Less hemoglobin means less oxygen
carried
 Results in fatigue

Blood Slide 4: African Sleeping Sickness
(Trypanosoma)
FACTS
Caused by protozoan.
 Transmitted through the bite of a tsetse
fly (Africa)
 Protozoan rapidly divides in the body
 Causes fever, headache, itchiness, joint
pain, and death if not treated (about
10,000 per year affected)

Blood Slide 5: Malaria (Plasmodium)
protozoans
rbc
Trypanosomiasis
FACTS
Caused by a protozoan (Plasmodium)
 Transmitted through a mosquito bite
 Parasite destroys cells and infects liver
 Produces strong flu-like symptoms and
extreme chills
 Can be deadly (2010, 216 million malaria
cases in world and about 655 000 malaria
deaths)
 Tropical disease


Jeremy Piven
Anderson Cooper
 George Clooney

Blood slide 6: bacterial infection

WBC
(orange)
engulfing
bacteria
RODS
FACTS
Bacteria enter blood usually through cut or
wound
 Staphylococcus common infection
 Bacteria produce toxins which damage
cells
 Can be fatal if not treated with antibiotics

Blood Slide 7: Leukemia
RBC
Large immature
WBC
FACTS
Cancer
 Caused by uncontrolled production of
WBCs
 WBCs build up in tissues and block
normal function

Blood Slide 8: Megaloblastic
Anemia
Very large RBC,
malformed
FACTS
Usually caused by diet low in vitamin B12
and folic acid (leafy green vegetables)
 Fewer red blood cells means less oxygen
carried
 Causes fatigue
