Five Top Things to Know About a Dna Paternity Test

Whilst the awareness about DNA Paternity testingparty (normally a qualified general practitioner or
has greatly increased throughout most of thenurse) who will be responsible to verify and
world, there is still a lot of information about theauthenticate the samples. The actual result of the
test that is not known.paternity in terms of the biological relationship will
The following are the five top things to knownot differ.
about a DNA Paternity Test:3. Always select a properly accredited laboratory
1. Most accurate method of determining biologicalAlways chose to do your paternity test through a
relationshipscompany that uses an ISO17025 and/or AABB
A DNA Paternity test is the most accurate wayaccredited laboratory. This will ensure the quality
of determining a biological relationship between anand accuracy of the results. Also make sure that
alleged father/mother and their child. Whilst in thewhen report the result a full DNA profile is
past blood grouping analysis was used as aprovided for the 16 loci analysed, as well as the
screening method, the relevance of this test hasstatistical probability of paternity. A simple Yes/No
been greatly reduced as the level of accuracy ofanswer should not be deemed acceptable.
this type of test is low compared to the result of4. Paternity tests can be performed without the
a DNA test. A DNA paternity test will providesample of the mother
100% certainty of exclusion and 99.9%+To perform a DNA Paternity test the sample of
probability of inclusion.the Mother is not necessary to obtain an accurate
2. Difference between an At-Home Paternity Testresult. However, when available, it is always
and a Legal Paternity Testrecommended that the sample of the Mother is
The difference between an At-Home Paternityalso provided. Only in specific cases will the sample
Test (also called Curiosity Test) and a Legalof the mother provide more accurate results
Paternity Test is not the actual result but thesuch in the case of gene mutation. Many
way in which the sample collection is performed.companies offer to test the mother at no extra
For an At-Home Paternity test, a home dna kit ischarge.
normally sent to the requesting party. The kit will5. DNA can be obtained from a diverse range of
normally include i) oral swabs to take the salivasamples
sample, ii) documentation to provide relevantIt is possible to obtain DNA from a number of
information including consent iii) instructions andother sources such as hair, blood, semen and
terms and conditions of sale. The sample is takenitems such as cigarette butts and a toothbrush.
by the parties themselves who are participating inWhilst the current standard is to use an oral swab
the test. In a Legal DNA Paternity Test, theto collect saliva samples, in cases where a person
sample collection must follow a strict chain ofmay not be physically present, able or willing to
custody procedure. All samples need to bedonate a sample, then alternate samples can be
collected and documented by a independent thirdobtained.