RADIOMETRIC MICROBIOLOGICAL ESTIMATION OF VITAMIN-B-12

Estimation of vitamin B-12 in blood is very important to determine in decifiency and diagnosis of anemic patients. Vitamin B-12 in blood can be estimated by spectrochemical, enzymatic, radioisotopic and microbiological methods. In the present study vitamin Bit was determined in 48 normal subjects of Rawalpindi/Islamabad by radiometric microbiological assay (RMA) technique using a very rapid, sensitive and automated instrument Bactec 460. In this procedure C-14-glucose media and microorganisms Lactobacillus leichmannii were used. The sensitivity of the method for vitamin B-12 is 1 pg/ml and the vitamin B-12 found in normal subjects was in the range of 105-535 pg/ml with a median value of 246+/-6 pg/ml.