What Is Human Karyotyping

Karyotyping is a test to examine chromosomes in a sample of cells. This test can help identify genetic problems as the cause of a disorder or disease.

What is a human karyotype and how is it used?

A karyotype is an individual’s collection of chromosomes. The term also refers to a laboratory technique that produces an image of an individual’s chromosomes. The karyotype is used to look for abnormal numbers or structures of chromosomes.

How do you karyotype a human chromosome?

To observe a karyotype, cells are collected from a blood or tissue sample and stimulated to begin dividing; the chromosomes are arrested in metaphase, preserved in a fixative and applied to a slide where they are stained with a dye to visualize the distinct banding patterns of each chromosome pair.