Parentage Test
A parentage test is a DNA test performed to determine whether an alleged parent is the biological parent of a child. There are two different types of parentage tests: paternity and maternity. Paternity tests are performed more frequently.
Parentage testing is based on the fact that a child inherits half of his or her genetic makeup from the biological mother and half from the biological father. Furthermore, this inheritance of DNA by a child is reflected in predictable ways among his or her DNA markers.
Certain DNA markers—specifically STRs—are examined in a parentage test to determine whether the tested parent is the biological parent of the tested child. If the tested parent and child are biologically related, their genetic profiles will share at least 50% of the same DNA markers.
A parentage test has two possible results. An inclusion result indicates that the tested parent is the biological parent of the child. An exclusion, on the other hand, indicates that the tested parent is not the biological parent of the child.
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