As some geneticists foresaw years earlier, new tests are frequently accompanied by technical, economic, or social problems. The new CF tests have all three. They identify the F508 mutation, which accounts for about 76 percent of CF carriers among people of European descent, but the remaining 24 percent of carriers remain undiscovered. By testing for an additional three mutations, it is possible to discover about 84 percent of carriers in this population. For Ashkenazic Jews and African Americans, among whom the delta F508 mutation is a less common cause of CF, the tests identify a far smaller percentage of those who are actually CF carriers.
The tests are not cheap: the usual cost to the patient for testing for four mutations is about $250, which is rarely reimbursed by insurance because the CF tests are still considered experimental.
Further, no one is certain what the general population knows about CF ...
