Neonatal screening for severe combined immunodeficiency in Brazil

Objective: To apply, in Brazil, the T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) quantification technique using real-time polymerase chain reaction in newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency and assess the feasibility of implementing it on a large scale in Brazil. Methods: 8715 newborn bl...

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Authors: Patto Kanegae, Marilia Pyles, Barreiros, Lucila Akune, Lessa Mazzucchelli, Juliana Themudo [UNIFESP], Hadachi, Sonia Marchezi, de Figueiredo Ferreira Guilhoto, Laura Maria, Acquesta, Ana Lucia, Genov, Isabel Rugue [UNIFESP], Holanda, Silvia Maia, Watanabe Di Gesu, Regina Sumiko, Goulart, Ana Lucia [UNIFESP], Nunes dos Santos, Amelia Miyashiro [UNIFESP], Bellesi, Newton, Costa-Carvalho, Beatriz Tavares [UNIFESP], Condino-Neto, Antonio
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2016
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)
Repository:Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
Language:English
Portuguese
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unifesp.br:11600/57601
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2015.10.006
https://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/57601
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:SCID
Neonatal screening
TRECs
T lymphocytes
Combined immunodeficiency
Primary immunodeficiency
Triagem neonatal
Linfócitos T
Imunodeficiência combinada
Imunodeficiência primária
Description
Summary:Objective: To apply, in Brazil, the T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) quantification technique using real-time polymerase chain reaction in newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency and assess the feasibility of implementing it on a large scale in Brazil. Methods: 8715 newborn blood samples were collected on filter paper and, after DNA elution, TRECs were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The cutoff value to determine whether a sample was abnormal was determined by ROC curve analysis, using SSPS. Results: The concentration of TRECs in 8,682 samples ranged from 2 to 2,181 TRECs/mu L of blood, with mean and median of 324 and 259 TRECs/mu L, respectively. Forty-nine (0.56%) samples were below the cutoff (30 TRECs/mu L) and were reanalyzed. Four (0.05%) samples had abnormal results (between 16 and 29 TRECs/mu L). Samples from patients previously identified as having severe combined immunodeficiency or DiGeorge syndrome were used to validate the assay and all of them showed TRECs below the cutoff. Preterm infants had lower levels of TRECs than full-term neonates. The ROC curve showed a cutoff of 26 TRECs/mu L, with 100% sensitivity for detecting severe combined immunodeficiency. Using this value, retest and referral rates were 0.43% (37 samples) and 0.03% (3 samples), respectively. Conclusion: The technique is reliable and can be applied on a large scale after the training of technical teams throughout Brazil. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. on behalf of Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.