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1. Does the DNA test hurt?
No, the DNA test is completely painless. For an overview of how it works, look at the test.
2. Can the test be done without the mother's sample?
Yes it can be done but more than our usual number of markers have to be used and this makes it more expensive than usual.
3. I've heard that blood tests are cheaper and just as good. Is that true?
Blood tests are certainly much simpler to perform and need less expertise than a DNA test. The problem is that most (around 80%) people belong to only two of the four possible blood groups. Also, it is not very uncommon for a blood group to mutate (change) from generation to generation. This makes blood groups extremely unreliable for proof of paternity.
4. How reliable are DNA tests?
It depends where you are getting the tests done. While most analyses are straightforward, some require a great deal of expertise in interpretation. We have this expertise at Wiltech-Bio. The level of quality control that we use means that our tests are not the cheapest on the market but they are extremely reliable and best value. When we give you a result there is less than one chance in a million that it could be wrong.
5. How can you tell from DNA if a man is a father of a child?
Everyone (other than identical twins) has unique DNA. We get half of our DNA from our fathers and half from our mothers. The half of our parents DNA that we get is completely random. Brothers and sisters have half of their DNA in common.First cousins have a quarter of their DNA in common.
So, if you match a child's DNA with its mother, then what is left over has to come from the father. If it doesn't match the alleged father, then some other man is the father.
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Wiltech-Bio 2002
