Transcript Slide 1

SEROLOGY
The examination & identification of body fluids
1/12th of our body is made of BLOOD
Other fluids studied:
Sweat
Tears
Saliva
Semen
Vaginal fluids
SEROLOGY
Blood is: “mixture” of blood cells & plasma.
 a liquid with dissolved particles AND with very small solid
particles suspended within it.
Gravity acts on blood pulling it downward.
Blood has cohesive forces:
 keeping it together rather than letting it separate as it falls.
 this keeps it from flattening out when it lands on a surface.
Blood accounts for approximately 8% of total body
 5-6 liters for males, 4-5 liters for females
Blood loss of 1.5 liters causes incapacitation
Blood loss of 40% causes death
A droplet of blood contains approximately 0.05mL of blood
“Hematocrit” value: the % of packed red blood cells
15-29% = thin, will bleed out; chronic alcoholics
30-48% = normal
49-75% = thick, people in shock; “fight or flight”
HISTORY
See chart p.196-197
Basically, it goes a long way back and keeps on changing
1) Antony Leeuwenhoek
(1659)
 First to see blood cells with a
microscope
2) Karl Landsteiner
 Discovered 2 proteins on blood cells
A&B
Gave rise to 3 blood types: A,B,O
3) Percy Oliver
 Started the blood donor service
COMPOSITION OF BLOOD
1) Red blood cells
(erythrocytes)
(RBC’s)
 carry oxygen via the hemoglobin molecule
Iron in hemoglobin binds with oxygen
2) White blood cells
(leukocyes)
(WBC’s)
 fight disease & illness
the only blood cell with a nucleus, so this is how
we can get DNA from blood
3) Platelets
(thrombocytes)
 aid in clotting & repairing blood vessels
All of these components are suspended in PLASMA
 carries proteins, sugars, antibodies, hormones, etc
Blood is made of 45% cells & 55% plasma

PLASMA fluid portion of blood

CELLS
◦ Erythrocytes = red blood cells;
responsible for gas distribution.
◦ Leukocytes = white blood cells;
responsible for “cleaning” blood of
foreign invaders. Produce
antibodies. Contain DNA
◦ Thrombocytes/platelets = are
responsible for blood clotting

Serum = liquid that separates from
the blood when a clot is formed.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
6
8% of your total body weight is made up of blood
 males have 5-6L of blood
 females have 4-5L of blood
 1 drop of blood is approx. 0.03-1.5mL of volume
Blood loss of: 1.5L = incapacitation
40% = death
“Hematocrit” value: the % of packed red blood cells
15-29% = thin, will bleed out; chronic alcoholics
30-48% = normal
49-75% = thick, people in shock; “fight or flight”
Unknown Stain at a Scene
Questions to be answered:
1) Is it blood?
2) Is it human blood?
3) Whose is it?
Presumptive test for blood determination:
Kastle-Meyer color test
Hematest® tablet
Luminol test
Larger nucleic red blood cells
in Frog blood
Human vs. Animal blood:
Microscopic observation
Precipitin test
Human blood
Fish Blood
Bird Blood
Horse Blood
Frog Blood
Cat Blood
Dog Blood
Human Blood
Snake Blood
HOW IT’S USED FOR EVIDENCE:
Class evidence for blood would include blood type.
If you can determine the DNA you would have individual evidence.
Blood stain patterns are considered circumstantial evidence.
Experts could argue many points including direction of travel,
height of the perpetrator, whether the body was moved, etc.
Collecting Blood Evidence at the Scene:
•Collect liquid before coagulation if possible
 With syringe, place in vial and get refrigerated
•Scrape dried blood into vial, envelope
 Collect material from surrounding area as control
•If blood can not be scraped off:
Moisten swab and dab at stain until swab is
deep red/brown. Place in vial
Cut out section of evidence and wrap in paper.
Do NOT use plastic bags!! This degrades the blood.
Who’s blood is it???
Blood Typing & DNA fingerprinting
Who’s Your Daddy???
Remember Punnett squares from Biology???
A women wants to find out if so-and-so is the
father of her baby. She wants child support and is
convinced that he is the true father.
She takes him on TV and wildly denies that she has
been with 100 other guys; only ‘him’.
The baby has blood type A. Mom has blood type AB
and Dad has blood type ‘B’. Can he be the father?
Remember that the genotype for blood types can be
either homozygous or heterozygous. So, what do
you remember?
Mom’s genotype is
definitely AB. Dad can be
homozygous (BB) or he
could be heterozygous
(BO) for blood type B.
Place the genotypes in the
Punnett and figure out
the possible offspring of
this union. Is ‘so-and-so’
the father? Is this
conclusive?
A
B
A
B
B
B
B
O
“Genotype” vs. “Phenotype”???
Phenotype:
This is the "outward, physical manifestation"
of the organism.
Genotype:
This is the "internally coded, inheritable information"
carried by all living organisms.
Genotype
Phenotype
AA or AO = Type A
BB or BO = Type B
OO = Type O
AB = Type AB
According to the ABO blood typing system there are
four different kinds of blood types: A, B, AB or O
Do you know what type you are???
Some of you are “secretors”:
blood type can be found in body fluids other than blood
70-80% of population are secretors
Blood group A
If you belong to the blood
group A:
you have A antigens on the
surface of your red blood
cells
and B antibodies in
your blood plasma.
Blood group B
If you belong to the blood group B:
you have B antigens on the surface of your
red blood cells
and A antibodies in
your blood plasma.
Blood Type AB
Blood Type O
“Rh” comes from the rhesus monkey
this blood cell protein was first found on.
You either have the protein (+) or you don’t (-)
The problem occurs when an Rh – mother is pregnant with an Rh + baby.
The mother’s blood detects the + protein and starts producing antibodies against
The babies blood. The mother is treated to help prevent the production of antibodies.
United States population:
Rh + = 85%
Rh - = 15%
Blood Group
AB
A
B
O
Antigens
Antibodies
Can give
blood to
Can receive
blood
from
Universal Donor:
Blood Type distribution in
the United States:
Type O
Universal Receiver:
A = 42%
Type AB
B = 12%
AB = 3%
O = 43%