The Interpretation of Various Skin Conditions on the Transfer of Secondary Touch DNA
Date
2020
Authors
Kirkland, Jade
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Abstract
Secondary DNA transfer has been an increasing topic of study throughout the forensic science community recent years. Little information is known about how the condition of the surface of an individual’s hand may play a role in the transfer of secondary DNA. This study evaluated whether individuals’ hand conditions, whether oily or dry, played a role in the deposition of DNA onto another individuals’ hands and then onto a glass slab. Participants were assigned as the primary DNA contributor, meaning they would be the person touching the glass. Participants were then told their hand condition and the researcher and each participant had direct contact with each other for 30 seconds via handshakes after which the primary placed their hand on a glass substrate. Swabbings of the glass were taken them extracted, quantified, amplified, and then injected into the AB 3500 Genetic Analyzer. DNA typing results showed that under oily conditions, the secondary contributors' profile was likely to show up in more abundance than if that contributor had dry skin, having 35.4% of alleles detected when both contributors had oily hands and 20% of alleles detected when only the secondary contributor had oily hands.
Description
Keywords
Secondary DNA, DNA forensics
Citation
Kirkland, Jade. The Interpretation of Various Skin Conditions on the Transfer of Secondary Touch DNA. Fairfax: George Mason Univerity, 2020