Cystic fibrosis screening in the newborn.

A new technique of measuring stool enzyme activity on dry specimens of 
faeces from newborn children at 4-5 days of age has detected 
3 cases of cystic fibrosis in the first 6000 tests. No 
known cases of cystic fibrosis have been missed. Additionally, one case 
of pancreatic achylia of at least 4 months' duration has been 
detected. It is proposed that the detection of cystic fibrosis by 
this technique is sufficiently practical to be acceptable as a worthwhile 
newborn screening programme. The screening test has been in use in 
Auckland for over a year and is now being set up 
in Hamilton, Wellington, and Dunedin (New Zealand), and Sydney (Australia). 