Guthrie test

Guth·rie test

noun \ˈgəth-rē-\

Definition of GUTHRIE TEST

: a test for phenylketonuria in which the plasma phenylalanine of an affected individual reverses the inhibition of a strain of bacteria of the genus Bacillus (B. subtilis) needing it for growth

Biographical Note for GUTHRIE TEST

Guthrie, Robert (1916–1995), American microbiologist. Guthrie did research in the following fields: the genetics of two bacilli (Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis), cancer chemotherapy, cytology of bacterial endospores, human genetics and the biochemical nature of individuality, and the nutrition of bacteria and invertebrates. He developed the test for phenylketonuria in the early 1960s.