A patient has Type A blood. What antigen is present in this person's red blood cells?

Question

a. A

b. AB

c. B

d. O

Answer 1

Hi Anika!

In order to answer this question, you need to know that an "antigen" is like a name tag that is found on the outside of the cells (just like how a name tag is found on the outside of a person's clothes).

There are three antigens for human blood types: A, B, and Rh.

An individual with "A" antigens will have blood type A.

An individual with B antigens will have blood type B.

An individual with *both* A and B antigens will have blood type AB.

An individual with *neither* A or B antigens will be blood type "O".

The Rh antigen is what determines if the blood type is "positive" or "negative". A person with blood type O positive will not have A or B antigens but will have the Rh antigen. A person with blood type A negative will have A antigens, but not Rh antigens.

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

A. The letter in the blood type indicates the type of antigens possessed (so a person with type A blood has A antigens in their blood cells, B has B antigens, AB has both A and B antigens, and O has neither).