Can touching the swab give an incorrect paternity test result?
“I have a question that I cannot seem to find an answer to on the web.
When packaging the swabs for IDENTIGENE’s DNA test kit I accidentally brushed the side of my thumb against one of the swabs. What I want to know is would this somehow cause a mixed DNA profile, one that would not match the alleged father resulting in a false negative?
When these tests are done, are they able to detect that there are two different DNA samples on the swab and, if needed, order a retest? How does that work? I just want to be sure that it wouldn’t be possible to somehow have the lab technicians see a DNA profile that is actually a combination of mine and the alleged father and use that to compare to the child.”
This is a fairly common question, and the answer is simple. The paternity test lab can easily detect when one swab contains more than one person’s DNA profile (we call this a “mixed profile” meaning that DNA from two or more persons were “mixed” on one swab sample). But rest assured, a mixed profile would not cause an incorrect paternity test result; the lab would quickly identify it and we would send you a new set of swabs and ask you to collect the DNA sample(s) again.
It is possible (though unlikely) that accidentally brushing your finger on a dry swab (such as when putting the swabs into the specimen envelope) would generate a mixed profile. For this reason, it’s extremely important to be cautious when handling the swabs for collection or shipping. But, unless the contact with the swab was more of a “hard scrape” than an “accidental brush,” it probably would not capture enough DNA to significantly contaminate the swab and cause a mixed profile. If it did, the lab would easily identify the problem and request a new collection; if not, the right samples from the right people will be extracted and tested and the paternity test result will be accurate.
If you ever have questions on submitting your samples, or regarding possible contamination, IDENTIGENE DNA paternity test consultants are here to help. Give us a call at 888-404-4363.
Fatal error: Call to undefined function wp_gdsr_rating_article() in /home/dnatest/public_html/dna-testing-blog/wp-content/themes/fluid-blue/archive.php on line 113