What materials are needed for a paternity test?
Paternity testing is a product of modern science and technology. It can determine the parent-child relationship through molecular biology technology to ensure the authenticity of the parent-child relationship in the family. The samples and materials required for paternity testing are very important. Correct collection and storage can improve the precision and accuracy of the test. The samples and materials required for paternity testing will be introduced in detail below.
Oral swab
The most common way to collect samples for paternity testing is by taking a mouth swab. The collection method is very simple. You only need to put an oral cotton ball or a special oral sampler into your mouth and rotate it for about 30 seconds, and then put the sampler into the box to complete the collection process. The collected oral swabs contain a large number of oral epithelial cells, which are the same as blood and can be used for DNA sequencing to determine paternity.
Things to note when collecting oral swabs are to clean the mouth and refrain from eating and drinking for 30 minutes before collection to avoid foreign DNA contamination in the sample. It is important to note that do not use items containing antibacterial ingredients such as mouthwash or toothpaste before collection, so as not to affect the test results.
Blood
Blood is one of the important samples for paternity testing. It is suitable for infants, young children, and other individuals who are unable to cooperate and who, for some reason, are unable to undergo oral collection. Blood collection requires professional medical personnel. For adults, approximately 10 ml of blood is required, and for infants, it is calculated based on body weight.
It should be noted that the blood collection process needs to be strictly controlled to avoid sample contamination due to improper collection. At the same time, for certain infectious diseases such as AIDS, corresponding safety precautions must be taken to ensure the safety and accuracy of the collection process.
Hair
Hair is another option for collecting paternity test samples. The outer layer of hair is composed of keratinocytes, while the inner layer is rich in DNA. Hair collection requires hair follicles to remain intact, so accurate hair collection is a prerequisite for successful detection of hair samples.
Hair collection requires the use of razors or scissors to cut the hair, giving priority to hair with roots. Immediately after collection, place the sample in a moisture-proof bag to avoid excessive drying in a short period of time, which may affect subsequent testing.
Samples of suspected relatives
When conducting a paternity test, if there is a lack of samples from one relative, it can also be verified by collecting samples from suspected relatives. For example, a sample of the mother or father can be used to determine whether a child is related to them. During paternity testing, samples from both parents need to be collected at the same time to improve the accuracy of the test results.
Some specific verification methods include: using the father\’s sample as a comparison benchmark, conducting identification first, and if the result is related, then using the identification results to test the mother\’s sample. At the same time, different relatives also need to compare their own DNA sequencing results to improve the accuracy of verification.
In general, the samples and materials required for paternity testing are very critical. Different sample collection methods and comparison plans will also affect the accuracy of the test results.. Before conducting a paternity test, you need to carefully understand the relevant knowledge of sample collection and storage to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the paternity test results.
