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Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology
Published in: Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology 4/2021

01-12-2021 | Original Article

Comparison of Isohelix™ and Rayon swabbing systems for touch DNA recovery from metal surfaces

Authors: Dan O. M. Bonsu, Matthew Rodie, Denice Higgins, Julianne Henry, Jeremy J. Austin

Published in: Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology | Issue 4/2021

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Abstract

A previous study evaluating two swabbing systems found that DNA was best recovered from sterile metal substrates using an Isohelix™ swab wetted with isopropyl alcohol rather than a Rayon swab with water as the wetting agent. We tested the same swabbing systems on metal (aluminum, brass, and stainless steel) and plastic substrates in a regularly touched environment to simulate the non-deliberate transfer of touch evidence likely seen in a casework scenario, to ascertain the performance of these swabs in an uncontrolled situation. Higher amounts of touch DNA were recovered with Isohelix™ swabs (0.5 – 3.3 ng) compared to Rayon swabs (0.13 – 1.2 ng). The Isohelix™ swabbing system was found to significantly recover more touch DNA (p = 0.04) from the metal substrates than the Rayon swabbing system, consistent with the findings of our previous work. The results contribute to our understanding of the impact of sample collection techniques on touch DNA recovery from problematic metal surfaces and suggest that supplemental cleaning of substrates as a precautionary step against the spread of infections may affect touch DNA persistence and the recovery efficiency of swabs.
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Metadata
Title
Comparison of Isohelix™ and Rayon swabbing systems for touch DNA recovery from metal surfaces
Authors
Dan O. M. Bonsu
Matthew Rodie
Denice Higgins
Julianne Henry
Jeremy J. Austin
Publication date
01-12-2021
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology / Issue 4/2021
Print ISSN: 1547-769X
Electronic ISSN: 1556-2891
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-021-00423-8

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