In order for a child to inherit a recessive genetic disease, like sickle cell anemia, healthy parents must both
A. have the disease
B. be homozygous for the mutated gene that causes the disease.
C. be carries of the mutated gene that causes the disease
D. have another offspring that have the disease
Is the answer C?
Yes, the answer is C. For a child to inherit a recessive genetic disease like sickle cell anemia, both parents must be carriers of the mutated gene that causes the disease.
Yes, the correct answer is C. In order for a child to inherit a recessive genetic disease like sickle cell anemia, both parents must be carriers of the mutated gene that causes the disease.
To arrive at this answer, we need to understand the inheritance pattern of a recessive genetic disease. In this case, sickle cell anemia is caused by a mutation in the gene responsible for producing hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. The mutated gene is recessive, meaning that both copies of the gene (one inherited from each parent) must be mutated for the disease to be expressed.
If both parents are carriers, it means they have one copy of the mutated gene and one copy of the normal gene. Since they are carriers, they do not have the disease themselves since only having one copy of the mutated gene does not cause the disease. However, they can pass on the mutated gene to their children.
If a child inherits one copy of the mutated gene from each parent, they will have two copies of the mutated gene and will therefore have the disease. If the child inherits only one copy of the mutated gene, they will be a carrier like their parents, but they will not have the disease.
So, in summary, both parents must be carriers of the mutated gene in order for their child to inherit a recessive genetic disease like sickle cell anemia.