FISH analysis will tell you if a specific chromosome is present and how many chromosomes there are and is much faster than a karyotype. FISH is used commonly for diagnosing down syndrome during pregnancy using amniotic fluid. Downs syndrome is diagnosed when there is a trisonomy on chromosome #21 (that is a number sign not a hash-tag). Now, what it will not tell you is the structural composition of the chromosome (like a karyotype) which is equally as important as knowing how many chromosomes are present. FISH analysis can take from 7-10 days. A karyotype can take up to two weeks to yield results. So, they are similar but very different procedures. Comparing FISHing to Karyotyping (not sure if either of those words are real words but you understand me for all intents and purposes) is like comparing an X-ray to an MRI. The X-ray is great for confirming the general location of pain that a patient is experiencing, but an MRI may be needed if there are further questions regarding structural integrity.So this semester I will learn to FISH, and if it is fun maybe I will try to karyotype (not myself though because I do not need to know that much about myself. It is already hard enough to compartmentalize the information I already have) totally kidding (kind of) :)
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| FISH (property of Breen lab at NCSU) |
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| KARYOTYPE |
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