Overview Of Maternity DNA Testing
We have often heard of a DNA test being done to establish paternity because paternity is sometimes a dispute or even unknown some other times. Maternity DNA testing, though not as often sought as a paternity test, is done to establish maternity. It is done to establish beyond doubt whether or not a certain person is the biological mother of a certain child.
It is an important means of identification of the mother in cases of adopted children, immigration, in vitro fertilization and in cases where one has doubts that one's baby might have been switched in the hospital nursery at birth. It is also useful in police work, such as in crime scenes, to establish maternal relations with a child.
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondria are organelles or tiny structures located inside our cells. Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located inside these organelles. This is a very small amount of DNA compared to what is found in the nucleus of our cells.
Our DNA comes from both our parents; it is transferred to us at the time of fertilization by means of the egg and the sperm. Both the egg and the sperm are single cells. They have DNA in their nucleii and also in their mitochondria. The DNA in their mitochondria is mitochondrial DNA; also refered to as mtDNA for short.
At the time of fertilization, all the nuclear DNA of the sperm enters the egg leaving the mtDNA of the sperm behind. So the fertilized egg will have nuclear DNA from the egg and the sperm both, but it will have mtDNA from only the egg.
The DNA mixture in the fertilized egg will then replicate zillions of times to form the DNA of each and every cell in us. The resultant DNA in us will have nuclear DNA from both our parents but the mtDNA will be passed to us only from the mother.
Maternity Laboratory Testing
In a maternity test, usually the child's DNA sample is analyzed in the DNA testing laboratory along with the samples from his biological father and the alleged mother. But when the father is not available, the child's sample will be analyzed alongside his alleged mother's sample to establish or rule out the biological relationship between the two.
Technology and science has enabled the similarities or the dissimilarities between the two DNA samples analyzed to be established. A matching result goes in favor of the alleged mother being the biological mother.
American Association of Blood Banks
Not all labs are equipped to do a maternity DNA test and not all labs are approved to do the test. So, if you want to forward the results of your maternity DNA test to a government authority, you must make sure that you get the test done by an AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) approved laboratory.
The AABB is an international regulatory body which sets the standards for many activities including DNA testing services. And government agencies and courts will accept the results of AABB approved labs.
If you want to know this bit of information about the lab you have chosen, you may call them and ask them.
One thing you can be sure of is that a biological relationship proven by means of a maternity DNA test is infallible.
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