Discovery of an inherited bisatellited metacentric microchromosome in amniotic cell culture.

The identification is reported of an extra bisatellited metacentric microchromosome in amniotic cell culture from the third pregnancy of an identical twin (amniocentesis being performed because of age), and its subsequent finding in the maternal parent as an inherited familial marker. The carriers of the microchromosome are all clinically normal and the parents opted for continuation of pregnancy. Only one other report was found in the literature of a similar microchromosome detected in amniotic fluid culture, but we believe ours to be the first bisatellited microchromosome to be clearly identified from an amniotic cell culture using silver staining.