Guthrie test

Blood test for phenylketonuria (PKU). See phenylketonuria.

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Guth·rie test 'gəth-rē- n a test for phenylketonuria in which the plasma phenylalanine of an affected individual reverses the inhibition of a strain of bacteria of the genus Bacillus (B. subtilis) needing it for growth

Guthrie Robert (1916-1995)

American microbiologist. Guthrie did research in the following fields: the genetics of two bacilli (Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis), cancer chemotherapy, cytology of bacterial endospores, human genetics and the biochemical nature of individuality, and the nutrition of bacteria and invertebrates. He developed the test for phenylketonuria in the early 1960s.

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a blood test performed on all newborn babies at the end of the first week of life. The blood is obtained by pricking the heel of the baby. The test can detect several inborn error of metabolism (including phenylketonuria) and hypothyroidism; it can also be used for detecting cystic fibrosis, although this is not routinely offered.

R. Guthrie (1916- ), US paediatrician

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Guth·rie test (guthґre) [Robert Guthrie, American microbiologist, 1916–1995] see under test.