DNA-based paternity test — what it can help with, and what it can't
With today's advanced technology, you can be confident that the test will give you a precise and definitive answer to the question of paternity — especially if you have it carried out in a reliably operating, regularly audited, and highly accredited laboratory.
What information can we expect from the result of a DNA-based paternity test?
Below we provide brief answers to a few frequently raised questions and dilemmas:
What information does a paternity test provide?
A paternity test answers the question of whether the alleged father being tested is the biological father of the child being tested or not.
Based on our current knowledge, only DNA-based genetic testing can give a reliable answer to this question. During the test, the DNA profiles of the participants are first established, and the results are calculated using proven and reliable probability calculations (statistical methods). The test results generally yield a paternity probability of 99.9% or higher in the case of biological paternity; and 0% if the person tested as alleged father turns out not to be the biological father.
The sex of the participants in the paternity test
One of the DNA markers checked by the laboratory during paternity testing is "Amelogenin", the gene that also determines biological sex. The sex of the person tested can be clearly read from the report: if the Amelogenin reading is XX, the tested person is female; if XY, the tested person is male. If, for example, the accompanying form indicates that the tested child is a boy but the result shows that the sample comes from a female, the laboratory verifies the exact situation with the sender. In addition to detecting deliberate sample switching, this check can also reveal accidental clerical errors or sample mix-ups in good time.
Prenatal (during-pregnancy) paternity testing
Previously, paternity could only be examined after the baby was born — today it is possible to clarify this question without any risk to the health of the baby or the expectant mother. The technology of the so-called non-invasive prenatal paternity test is so advanced that it can be reliably performed during pregnancy (after the completed 7th week of pregnancy) without the test posing any risk to the mother or her unborn child. The weeks of pregnancy are counted from the first day of the last menstrual period (this is also the standard obstetric counting method). The test result is ready in about 10–12 calendar days after sample collection (which corresponds to 7 working days), and confirms the biological father with greater than 99.9% probability, and excludes — with 100% probability — anyone who is not the child's father.
What can a paternity test not help with?
If, during a test based on at-home sample collection and postal return, the submitted DNA sample is false (i.e. it does not come from the person indicated on the order form). With reliable, accredited, and audited laboratories you can be certain that the DNA samples received will be processed accurately, in accordance with professional standards, under controlled conditions. There is, however, one thing the DNA laboratory definitely cannot verify in anonymous (code-name) tests: whether the submitted DNA samples truly come from the person indicated on the accompanying form. For this reason, in the case of anonymous tests we indicate on the report that the result is informational in nature — it has no evidentiary value.
If you have the test carried out in a reliable and audited laboratory, you can be certain that the results accurately match the laboratory samples examined. However, frauds based on deliberate sample switching cannot be ruled out by the laboratory in anonymous tests, due to the nature of the sample collection.
It is advisable to also conduct at-home DNA sample collection under regulated, supervised conditions — this prevents later misunderstandings and conflicts. It is helpful if all participants are present at the same time when the DNA samples are taken. In this case it is advisable to ask a person trusted by all participants to collect the samples, place them in the envelope, and post them (a mutual acquaintance, a healthcare professional, or possibly a lawyer or social services officer). If this is not possible, or if the result is needed for court, prosecutorial, or guardianship proceedings, we recommend having a chain-of-custody (officially documented) paternity test carried out — this involves higher costs, but the result obtained is acceptable both to the participants and to the authority involved.
The age of the participants
For a born child, a DNA sample can be taken from the moment of birth and is suitable for routine paternity testing. In the case of persons tested as the mother or as the alleged father, no inference about the age of the tested person can be drawn from the DNA.
Establishing paternity when the persons tested as alleged fathers are direct-line relatives (father–son, siblings, or twins)
In the case of siblings or a father–son relationship, a higher-precision test (examining 25 or more chromosomal loci) can accurately determine the true biological father. In case of doubt, it helps if the maternal sample can also be examined, and if it is possible to test the DNA of all alleged fathers.
In the case of identical twins — since the DNA of the twin pair is completely identical — there is no way to establish biological paternity.
For further questions, please request our professional assistance at info@dnskozpont.hu, or call +36-20/373-5580.