DNA Paternity Test vs. Blood Test
Today, a DNA
paternity test is a trusted, reliable
method of determining identity, parentage
and other family relationships.
Before DNA testing became prevalent in the late 1970s and 1980s, there was no definitive, safe paternity test available to prove parentage or other family relationships.
Although now eclipsed by DNA tests, the blood tests formerly used to provide clues about paternity still are very effective for other procedures (such as matching blood and tissue donors with transplant recipients). These tests include:
- blood typing (checking the child's blood type against the parents')
- serological testing (checking certain proteins in the child's blood against the parents')
- HLA testing (checking one specific type of protein in the child's blood against the parents')
But these all have specific drawbacks as far as a paternity test is concerned:
- The power of exclusion (the power of a test to eliminate a certain percentage of the population from being biologically related to an individual) for blood testing is only 30%
- For serological testing, the power of exclusion is only 40%
HLA testing presents other drawbacks, particularly the large amount of blood required and the uncomfortable nature of the withdrawal procedure. The test is considered dangerous for babies under the age of six months.
But the simple collection method used in a DNA paternity test, coupled with its near 100% certainty rate, make a DNA paternity test a great choice in any situation requiring positive identification of parentage. In fact, DNA tests are highly effective whenever any type of family relationship must be established.
Prophase Genetics is the trusted provider of reliable, safe DNA tests.
Contact us now for your confidential DNA paternity test.
