CLSI Announces Guidelines for Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis

The abbreviated Wilson and Jungner criteria1 for an inheritable disorder to be considered for testing include an acceptable prevalence in the population, serious medical complications if not treated before symptoms arise, the potential for successful treatment, the availability of technology to screen hundreds of specimens daily, and cost favorability (ie, the cost of detection by screening is significantly less than a clinical diagnosis). Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) meets these requirements and has been included in the 30 core disorders, recommended by the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, for which all state newborn screening programs should screen.