A person of AB blood type has A and B antigens.Why is it that the addition of type A(with antibody b) during a transfusion does not cause clumping?

1 Answer
Meave60
Jan 7, 2016

See the explanation.

Explanation:

When blood is collected from a donor, it is separated into several blood products: packed red blood cells (where the antigens are) , plasma (where the antibodies are), platelets, cryoprecipitate, and fresh frozen plasma (FFP). When a person needs blood, he/she will be given packed red blood cells , not plasma.

Since the packed red blood cells will be infused into the patient, only the A and B antigens will be present. The plasma that has been separated contains the anti-A and anti-B antibodies. So an AB person can receive either group A or B blood without a reaction. Of course, its best for a recipient to receive the same blood group.

http://m.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-types

This article is very informative about blood types. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type

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