Population screening if F508del (ΔF508), the most frequent mutation in the CFTR gene associated with cystic fibrosis in Argentina

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common autosomal recessive disease in the Caucasian population. The disease can be caused by one of the more than 900 different mutations in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene. However, the deletion of the phe508‐codon is the most prevalent mutation observed. Our aim was to perform a screening for this mutation (ΔF508, or F508del) in the population of Mendoza, Argentina. For the screening, 1,000 blood samples were obtained from CF asymptomatic individuals and combined into 100 pools each containing 10 different blood samples. Pools containing at least one F508del carrier were detected by heteroduplex formation during the PCR amplification of exon 10. The PCR was designed to introduce a recognition site for a restriction enzyme that confirmed the presence of the deletion F508del in the positive pools. The results with this simple method indicate a frequency of carriers in the Mendoza population of 2.1% (1.3%‐3.2, 95% confidence limits). The observed frequency of carriers is similar to that reported for European populations. Hum Mutat 18:167, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.