Guthrie test
Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Guthrie test
[guth´re]a screening tool used with infants to determine the level of phenylalanine in the blood. Blood from the head is placed on filter paper, which is then placed on agar plates with a strain of Bacillus subtilis that requires phenylalanine for growth. If there is excessive phenylalanine in the blood sample, a halo will form around the filter paper, and additional tests are required to determine the seriousness of the hyperphenylalaninemia.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
Guth·rie test
(gŭth'rē),bacterial inhibition assay for direct measurement of serum phenylalanine; in widespread use for detection of phenylketonuria in the newborn.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Guth·rie test
(gŭth'rē test)Bacterial inhibition assay for direct measurement of serum phenylalanine; in widespread use for detection of phenylketonuria in the newborn.
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012
Guthrie test
A sensitive test for PHENYLKETONURIA that can be done on the new-born baby. The test requires a few drops of blood from a heel stab and the blood is then cultured with bacteria that grow well in an environment of phenylalanine. Heavy growth indicates an abnormal concentration of the substance. (Clyde Graeme Guthrie, 1880–1931, American physician).Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005
Guthrie,
Robert, U.S. pediatrician, 1916–.Guthrie test - bacterial inhibition assay for detection of phenylketonuria in the newborn.
Medical Eponyms © Farlex 2012