AbstractWe assessed whether urinary DNA sediment was a feasible sample type for the molecular diagnosis of α-thalassemia (α-thal) mutations. Urine samples (5–10 mL) were collected from 218 male and female volunteers. The cells were centrifuged, and DNA was isolated according to the protocol of a commercial DNA isolation kit. Detection of the α0-thal [Southeast Asian (– –SEA) and – –THAI] deletions was performed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR), in addition to conventional gap-PCR. The results revealed that DNA extracted from urinary sediment presented an average DNA content of 11.2 ± 5.5 ng/µL, and the 260/280 ratio indicative of DNA purity, was 1.2 ± 0.2. The overall q-PCR threshold cycle was 31.2 ± 2.3. The melting temperature for the – –SEA deletion was 87.3 ± 0.1 °C, while that of the wild type sequence was 92.5 ± 0.2 °C. There were 16 (7.3%) α0-thal SEA genotypes detected. These results were in agreement with those of the conventional gap-PCR and blood DNA analyses. Thus...