A child that can receive blood donation from anybody belongs to the blood group

Analyze the question The question asks which blood group lets a person receive blood from anybody. That person is called a universal recipient.

Explain the concept Blood groups are decided by the antigens on red blood cells and the antibodies in the plasma:

| Blood group | Antigens on red cells | Antibodies in plasma | |---|---|---| | A | A | anti-B | | B | B | anti-A | | AB | A and B | none | | O | none | anti-A and anti-B |

A recipient's antibodies attack any donor red cells carrying antigens the recipient lacks. This causes agglutination (clumping).

Step-by-step solution

1. Group O has anti-A and anti-B antibodies, so it can only receive from O. It is the universal donor, not the universal recipient.
2. Group A has anti-B antibodies, so it cannot receive B or AB blood.
3. Group B has anti-A antibodies, so it cannot receive A or AB blood.
4. Group AB has no anti-A or anti-B antibodies, so nothing in its plasma attacks donated red cells of any group. It can receive from A, B, AB and O.

So the group that can receive blood from anybody is AB, the universal recipient.

Answer: D. AB

Exam tip

• O = universal donor (no antigens, so nothing to trigger a reaction).
• AB = universal recipient (no antibodies, so nothing to attack).

Remember it as: "O gives to all, AB receives from all."