Mental retardation with 45 chromosomes 45,XX,--5,--14,+der(5) t(5,14)(p15;q13) mat due to familial balanced reciprocal translocation.

A girl with severe mental retardation and odd facies and some features of the cri-duchat syndrome was found to have only 45 chromosomes. Her karyotype was 45,XX, -5, -14,+der(5) t(5,14)(p15;q13) mat. Her mother and her two sisters were found to be balanced reciprocal translocation carriers having 46 chromosomes, one of which was a very small (14pter leads to 14q13::5p15leads to 5pter) that was missing in the proposita.