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Article #171: DNA Paternity Testing - 5 Key Questions You Should Ask Your DNA Testing Provider

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DNA paternity testing in its purest form 1. Has the DNA testing facility been
is the application of DNA technology to accredited by a validated external body
provide information about the parentage such as the American Association of Blood
of an individual (usually a child). The Banks (AABB). If the answer is no, do not
mother of the child is rarely disputed, have your testing done by this company,
and most of the time DNA testing is you may not be able to rely on the
requested to inform the likely father of results.
a child. 2. Does the company carrying out the DNA
DNA is inherited from our parents, with testing have a thorough track-record in
half coming from the mother, and the this area of work, and have they proved
other half from the father. This pattern their technology in court? Be wary of
of inheritance allows the opportunity companies that sub-contract their
where the mother of the child is not testing. DNA profile interpretation can
disputed, to produce a putative DNA be a tricky business, and there is a lot
profile of the biological father. The at stake when you commission a DNA test,
process is relatively simple in that the and you want reassurance on the
final DNA profile of the child is reliability of your service provider.
composed of a series of bands which can 3. Is the company you are planning to use
only come from the two parents. If the an accredited laboratory or merely a
mother's bands are deducted from the broker? Brokers are simply in this game
child profile the remainder must come to make money, and have no interest in
from the biological father. Any male that the quality or the impact of this life
may consider himself the father can have changing technology. Avoid them
a DNA profile produced and compared irrespective of the tempting pricing they
against the remaining bands in the may offer you.
child's profile. 4. What degree of certainty does the
There can only be two outcomes from this company provide in relation to the
type of comparison. The first is a results of the tests? An exclusion should
'no-match' scenario where the remaining be 100% with an inclusion at, at least
bands in the child's profile could not 99.99% confidence levels. These are the
have come from the sample obtained from figures that are expected in a court of
the alleged father. This is known as law.
exclusion and eliminates the possibility 5. Does the internal quality standard
of this individual being the biological require duplication of all results before
father of the child. The second is a they are reported to the customer? This
'match' scenario where the remaining is an industry standard requirement which
bands in the child's profile could all be is often overlooked by some of the
accounted for by comparison with the 'cheaper' DNA testing providers.
alleged father. If this is the case the If the answer to any of these questions
significance of the match needs to be is unclear, my strong advice is to find
assessed by a DNA interpretation expert an alternative provider. You simply do
who will provide a degree of certainty not want to trust such an important piece
associated with the likelihood that the of work to a company that does not
alleged male is the biological father of guarantee a top quality product, with
the child. excellent customer care back-up.
Before you commission any Paternity DNA If you want to find out more about DNA
testing you should be sure you have clear Paternity Testing click on the links in
answers to the following 5 key questions: the author section below.






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