Once all parties are positively identified, photographed,
and thumb printed at the collection facility, the specimens are
taken and are then sealed with evidence tape and placed in a specially
designed package for shipment to the testing laboratory. Once
the samples are received at the testing laboratory, they are tracked
throughout the testing process and all individuals handling the
samples are documented. All testing is performed in a secured
and monitored facility under the highest standards of quality
control.
In the buccal test a cotton swab is inserted
into the mouth and brushed along the inside of the cheek. This
gathers saliva which contains enough DNA to do the test. When
blood is used, a needle is inserted into a vein and a tube of
blood is drawn. Either is acceptable and the accuracy of both
is the same. DNA paternity testing is much more than a blood test.
Since blood types, such as A, B, O, and Rh, are more common within
the population, the power to differentiate individuals is not
as high as with DNA paternity testing. Every person's DNA is unique
except for identical twins. Since it is so specific, just like
a fingerprint, DNA paternity testing is the most powerful form
of testing. Results are often 10 to 100 times more accurate than
what the courts require.
For young children the cheek swab is used most
often because of its noninvasive nature. In the past when using
a blood sample, a large sample, usually two big tubes of blood,
was required. This would be very difficult on a small child. A
buccal swab should not be taken from a child with Thrush. This
is a yeast infection that coats the tongue and cheeks and can
make it difficult for enough cells to be collected from which
to extract the DNA.
From these samples the genetic material from
the child is extracted and compared with the sample taken from
the mother. The DNA characteristics that are not found in the
mother's DNA material are inherited from the biological father.
If the material from the tested man does not share common characteristics
with the child's, the man is excluded. If the material does show
characteristics in common the probability that the man is the
biological father is recorded.
Tests can be done on parties living in different
cities or states. They can also be done even if one or more parties
are deceased. If the alleged father is not available for testing
but has known children, those children could be tested with the
child in question to determine if they are full or half siblings.
The mother or mothers of the tested children are also requested
to submit a DNA sample if they are available. Samples can also
be taken from siblings or parents of the deceased person. |
