Immunocytological test to detect adult carriers of (--SEA/) deletional α-thalassaemia

The gene frequency for (SEA/) deletional α-thalassaemia is high in Southeast Asian populations. We report a simple immunocytological test that is higly 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 α-thalassaemia. Lancet 1993; 342: 1145–47