ISSN:
1432-1076
Keywords:
Prenatal diagnosis
;
Thalassemia
;
Selective hemolysis
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract The prenatal diagnosis of the severe, hereditary anemias may be impossible when a placental blood sample which contains a high percentage of maternal rather than fetal cells is obtained. An incubation system described by Boyer et al. [3] with minor modifications, was applied to mixtures of blood from prematures and adults in order to increase the proportion of premature cells. After 40 min incubation, 95% or more of adult red cells were destroyed, whereas 30–60% of premature red cells were recovered, as determined by several independent methods. In a pregnancy at risk for β-thalassemia, a placental blood sample which was purely fetal was obtained. Complete lack of in vitro β-globin synthesis showed the fetus to have homozygous β-thalassemia. When fetal blood was mixed with maternal blood in a ratio of 1∶15, β-globin synthesis in the mixture was comparable to that of normal fetuses. In contrast, when the cell mixture was subjected to selective hemolysis prior to separation of globins, β-globin synthesis again was not detectable. Thus, using selective hemolysis, the correct diagnosis could be established from a blood sample containing only about 6% of fetal cells.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00442061
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