An X Chromatin Survey at Woodward State Hospital and Training School, an Institution for the Mentally Retarded

Abstract

The problem. The majority of the Woodward State hospital and training school population was surveyed to locate and identify residents with X chromatin abnormalities. Procedure. Buccal smears were taken from each resident. The smears were stained with cresyl fast violet and examined under 1250X magnification. The number of Barr bodies per 100 cells was noted and recorded for each resident sampled. Findings. One male out of a total male population of 278 surveyed was found to be chromatin positive, a frequency of 0.4%. Since four cell lines were observed in the buccal smear analysis, he was classified as a mosaic for his X chromosome makeup. Analysis of a population of 193 females showed one female with an abnormal X chromatin count, a 0.5% frequency. Since this female's buccal smear count was just slightly lower than that considered normal, she was classified as a mosaic of the type 45,X/46,XX. Conclusions. The frequency of X chromatin males at WSHTS was generally lower than the frequencies found in surveys of residents in other institutions for the mentally retarded. The frequency of females with abnormal X chromatin counts at WSHTS was in close agreement with that found in other similar surveys. Recommendations. The residents found in the WSHTS survey with abnormal X chromatin counts should be investigated by karyotype analysis to determine the specific features of the abnormality.