Cystic fibrosis (CF) affects 1 in every 2,500 Australian babies born and it is estimated that 1 in every 25 Caucasian Australians is a carrier. Carriers exhibit no symptoms of the disease.
Although individuals with a family history of CF have a higher chance of being a carrier, over 85% of children born with CF do not have a known family history of the disease.
If you are planning a family, DNA Labs offers screening tests that look for particular CF mutations. You can request a free kit using the order form below. The kit contains mouth swabs, consent forms and more information about CF. The geneSCREEN™ CF tests can be performed using a buccal swab (mouth swab) only. A blood sample is not necessary.
geneSCREEN™ Standard CF test – delta F508 (only)
The ‘delta F508’ gene accounts for the majority (~70%) of Caucasian CF cases. You would choose this test if you wanted to check if you had this gene as a parent.
geneSCREEN™ Comprehensive CF test – 32-mutation screen
This comprehensive test screens for the 32 most common CF mutations, which detects about 90% of Caucasian CF mutations. However, in people with other ethnic backgrounds less than 90% of defects are detected. We cannot detect all CF defects as there are more than 1000 known mutations.
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