The World's Premier Home Paternity Testing Service

If you are searching for a paternity testing company, chances are that this is the first time you’ve been exposed to the DNA testing industry. You are probably encountering many new terms, especially scientific language, that can be confusing as you consider your options.

Some of the most common scientific terms you will run into are DNA marker, STR, and loci (or the singular form, locus). These terms are closely associated with each other, so it can be difficult to determine what they mean and why they are significant.

DNA markers, or genetic markers, are specific DNA segments for certain genetic characteristics. Scientists will identify the types of DNA markers they want to study based on the research they are performing. For paternity testing, scientists will use STRs.

STR stands for short tandem repeat. As the name implies, STRs are short, repeating sequences of DNA. The number of repeats in each sequence is variable from person to person. Because of this variability, STRs are useful for identifying people based on their unique genetic profile (a profile of a person’s DNA markers).

The more DNA markers that are tested, the more accurate a test can be. The international DNA database, CODIS, uses 13 standard markers for DNA testing. Beta routinely tests 16 DNA markers and has the capability to test more if extended testing is necessary.

The term “loci” (which is the plural form of “locus”) comes from the Latin word for “place.” The loci are the locations of genes on the chromosome where DNA testing companies locate and test DNA markers. There are hundreds of loci on most chromosomes.

In short, at specific loci, STRs (which are the DNA markers) are tested by comparing their lengths.

Biologically related individuals will have the same STR lengths at specific loci. In a biologically related trio (mother, child, and father), half of a child’s markers will be the same length as the biological father, and the other half will be the same length as the biological mother.

Learn more about Beta’s paternity testing services and order your free test collection kit by contacting us today.

Recently, the AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks) released a statement concerning motherless paternity testing. In this statement AABB reiterated the importance of including the mother in a paternity test and the care that should be taken in performing motherless tests.

Motherless paternity tests, which are often used when a mother is missing or deceased, typically yield conclusive results but can be difficult to analyze, particularly in cases where extended testing is necessary. As discussed last week, DNA experts test a standard set of markers or locations of DNA for each case. These markers analyze both the mother’s and the alleged father’s genetic contributions to the child. When the mother is not included in a paternity test, part of the information at those markers to compare to the child’s DNA is missing and only the alleged father’s potential contribution is considered.

Experts in DNA testing can typically determine paternity without the mother, though it can prove difficult in cases of genetic mutation or related alleged fathers. This is why it is important that you choose a laboratory experienced in DNA testing with exceptional laboratory resources. To ensure that the results of a motherless test are accurate, it is important that you choose a company that employs experienced scientists and provides extended testing when necessary.

In addition to discussing potential problems with motherless test results, AABB elaborated on the inclusion of mothers in DNA testing as a tool for quality control. Even in cases where maternity is not in question, DNA from the biological mother can help the lab confirm relationships and more easily identify or refute an alleged biological relationship between a man and a child. In this capacity, testing the mother’s DNA can curb fraud cases, such as welfare and child support fraud, which are known to involve paternity tests.

When considering a paternity test, choose a test that includes the mother if possible. If you must choose a motherless test, be sure to use the services of a company that is highly trained and experienced in DNA testing and that is able to perform extended testing as necessary.

On the Beta Paternity website, we state:

“Our testing is so powerful that we can guarantee [a] probability of paternity [of] 99.9999% for all cases in which the mother, alleged father, and child are all tested”

But what does “99.9999% probability of paternity” mean?

Probability of paternity, as reported on paternity test results, represents the chance or certainty that an alleged father is the biological father of a child, as compared to a random untested male in the same population. This number is based on the combined paternity index (CPI), a statistical value reported on DNA test results.

A probability of paternity of 99.9999% means that there is 1,000,000 to 1 certainty that the tested alleged father is the biological father of the child.

To determine the probability of paternity, our DNA analysts must first compare the length of specific genetic markers between the alleged father, the mother, and the child to determine paternity indices (PI). A paternity index is generated for 15 of the 16 standard markers examined (the 16th marker is a gender marker that has no PI). When the child has the same length of genetic marker as the alleged father, the PI will be above 0 (if it is not the same, the PI will be 0). After all of the markers are compared and the PI generated, the CPI is determined by combining these PI.

In trio paternity tests, the CPI is typically 0 for an exclusion or very high (often above 500,000) for an inclusion. The CPI is an important value, as it is converted to determine the probability of paternity.

Specifically:

Probability of Paternity = (100 x (1 – 1/CPI))%

This yields a percentage equal to the likelihood that the alleged father is the biological father of the child.

If you have a CPI of 1,000,000, you can determine that the probability of paternity is 99.9999%. This means that it is 99.9999% likely that the alleged father is the biological father of the child.

Beta is dedicated to using state-of-the-art technology and expert knowledge to provide you with the highest quality DNA testing. This is why we can guarantee such conclusive results. To learn more about our DNA testing services, call one of our testing specialists today at 1-800-798-3810.

Did you know that in one New Jersey town, you can order a DNA test with your morning coffee?

At one coffee shop in New Jersey, you can order a DNA test and have your DNA collected as you sip on your morning cup of joe. The combination of these seemingly unrelated activities – coffee drinking and DNA testing – speaks to the ease of DNA sample collection.

DNA samples for paternity tests are collected through buccal swabs. Buccal swabs are cotton-like swabs that are rubbed on the inside of the cheek to gather DNA. This process is painless and easy to do.

Beta uses buccal swabs for most of its DNA tests (prenatal testing uses other collection methods). With buccal swabs, it is simple for you to perform DNA sample collection on yourself and on others involved in the test.

When you collect your DNA samples, be sure to follow all instructions included in your free kit. You should always label the envelopes completely. We also recommend that you label the envelope and collect the samples for one person at a time to prevent sample identification confusion later. When you finish swabbing your mouth, be sure to place the swabs in the envelopes, not in the plastic wrapper, as this will ensure that the samples will be preserved. If you try to place the swabs back in the plastic wrapper, your samples may be destroyed by mold that could grow in a damp, air-free environment.

Once your samples are in the envelope, you can package them in the Business Reply envelope provided to ship back to Beta. Our laboratory will then proceed to extract the DNA and perform your paternity test. At that point, you’ll be only a few days away from receiving your DNA test results.