BeneficialWarrant t1_j477q57 wrote on January 13, 2023 at 5:24 PM

Blood types can be visualized under a light microscope if IgM antibodies are added to the blood. This is a very fast and easy way to determine blood type. What you actually see is the blood cells clumping together (the actual A, B, and Rh proteins are far too small to be seen except perhaps by very specialized equipment).

A shows a normal blood smear and B shows agglutination from antibody binding blood type A antigen. From article by Yang, X. et al. from 2011.

0oSlytho0 t1_j48a92a wrote on January 13, 2023 at 9:21 PM

You can do this without a microscope as well, I've done this in uni somewhere in my first year. It's very easy and quick indeed.

DisneyDee67 t1_j4aspnj wrote on January 14, 2023 at 11:03 AM

The agglutination test at the bio labs for first year students don’t allow you to see individual cells. You simply see a reaction or lack thereof. That’s a bit different from what OP was asking.

0oSlytho0 t1_j4aws6l wrote on January 14, 2023 at 11:56 AM

>That’s a bit different from what OP was asking.

I'm aware, that's why it was a reply to the mention of that assay and not a direct post towards OP. I work with TM-proteins and do quite a lot of labeled Ab assays to indirectly prove something's there as it's just too small to see;)