Vetinerary Assistant Practice Exam

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Study for the Veterinary Assistant Test. Practice with multiple choice questions, review materials with insights, and understand key concepts to ace your exam!

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What is serum?

A blood component with clotting factors
Blood placed in a red top tube spun down, the clear portion
An anticoagulant that promotes clotting
The mixture of blood cells and plasma

The correct answer is: Blood placed in a red top tube spun down, the clear portion

Serum is defined as the clear fluid portion of blood that remains once the blood has been allowed to clot and the clot is removed. Specifically, when blood is collected in a tube without anticoagulants, such as a red top tube, and then spun in a centrifuge, the denser elements, including blood cells and clotting factors, settle to the bottom, leaving serum on top. This clear fluid contains antibodies, hormones, and other important substances, but it lacks clotting factors because they are consumed during the clotting process. Understanding serum is vital in veterinary medicine as it is used extensively for diagnostics, including various blood tests to assess organ function, immune response, and much more. The other options do not accurately describe serum, focusing instead on components that are either part of the clotting process or a mix of cellular elements in blood.