title: Immunocytological test to detect adult carriers of (--SEA/) deletional alpha-thalassaemia.
abstract: The gene frequency for (--SEA/) deletional alpha-thalassaemia is high in Southeast Asian populations. We report a simple immunocytological test that is highly sensitive and specific for the detection of adult carriers of the (--SEA/) deletion. We prospectively studied 206 consecutive adult blood samples. All 41 with the (--SEA/) deletion had a positive test; all but 1 of the 165 non-carriers were negative. This test, whose major requirement is a fluorescence microscope, should be useful to identify couples at risk of conceiving fetuses with homozygous alpha-thalassaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, McMaster University School of Medicine, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eng
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Waye
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Chui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006580:Genetic Carrier Screening / Q000379:methods*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017085:alpha-Thalassemia / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*