DNA Fingerprinting PaternityWhile the procedure is called a DNA fingerprinting paternity test, there are no "fingerprints" being used in the process of finding out who a person's father is. The term "fingerprint" is used to describe the similarities that a person's DNA has with a person's fingerprints. It is known that no two fingerprints are ever alike, and "fingerprinting tests" on DNA is a term used to show that no two DNA structures are alike as well, which is why you can determine paternity with it. How a DNA Fingerprinting Paternity Test Is Started How you can determine a person's parentage or paternity through DNA testing is easy with the help of tests like the DNA fingerprinting paternity test. This test is done usually in the sterilized environment of a laboratory. Doing these tests in laboratories ensures accurate results due to the unlikelihood of specimen contamination. The first step in the DNA fingerprinting procedure is to gather specimen from the subjects to be tested. The most common way of gathering DNA for paternity testing is with the use of the buccal swab method or the use of a clean swab being scraped inside the cheek of the subjects in question. Another way to gather DNA is to take it from other samples that come from the subjects that need to be tested. Among the probable parts of the human body that can be used for DNA testing or fingerprinting are hair samples and blood samples. Once the samples for testing are taken, the DNA fingerprinting can begin in the laboratory of the paternity clinic or health center that is doing the research. One thing that should be found out before taking a blood sample as the source of DNA from a person is if the person has had a blood transfusion anytime within the past few months. This can alter results, and the person may need to wait out 3 months or so before he can use his blood for the test or use another DNA source for the test. The DNA is then gathered from these samples taken from the possible father, the mother, and the child. If there is very little DNA to work with, the use of a technique called PCR or polymerase chain reaction is initiated to help increase the number of DNA that can be used for these tests. Why Use a DNA Fingerprinting Test to Figure Out Paternity The use of DNA and DNA fingerprinting is widely known for the accuracy it presents when finding out if a person is a child's father. This is done through comparisons of the DNA of all three people involved: the mother, the father, and the child. With careful scrutiny and comparisons, laboratories that specialize in helping families determine parentage can always produce accurate results. The equipment that these labs use when doing a DNA fingerprinting paternity test is often state of the art due to the rather sensitive nature of a person's DNA. When a family tries to find out who the father of a child is, as long as the father is present in the people who have been asked to give cell samples for DNA testing, results will often be very conclusive. The only difficulty that might be encountered when using DNA testing to figure out who the father of a child is, is when the suspects are identical twins. |