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Following birth, each baby in Australia has a sample of blood taken that is tested for the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU) - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 12 - 2003 - Paper 1
Question 12
Following birth, each baby in Australia has a sample of blood taken that is tested for the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU). This disease affects both genders e... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Following birth, each baby in Australia has a sample of blood taken that is tested for the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU) - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 12 - 2003 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which of the following best describes the mechanism of inheritance for phenylketonuria?
Answer
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is primarily inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. This means that a baby must inherit two copies of the mutated gene (one from each parent) to exhibit the disease. Parents may be carriers (heterozygous) of the gene and show no symptoms themselves, hence why PKU can appear in babies of parents who do not show the disease. Therefore, the correct answer is (C) Recessive.