Neonatal Screening for Phenylketonuria
1 Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, 1500 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53706
To the Editor.
Publication of the article by McCabe et al1 in September 1983 marks the twentieth anniversary of Guthrie and Susi's description of newborn screening for phenylketonuria (PKU), also published in these pages.2 The bacterial inhibition assay (BIA), which was reported in the latter article became the basis of a system of preventive pediatric care which has expanded during the past two decades.
In 1974, Holtzman et al3 were the first to examine extensively the issue of false-negative tests or missed PKU, and this problem has become a major concern.




