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Costs and Payment:
How much will everything cost me?
The total cost of the test is R745 per person (R1490 to test an alleged father and child). There are no hidden costs. This INCLUDES VAT and the courier costs of sending buccal swabs to your home or office and collecting them from you again once your samples are ready.
When is payment due?
As soon as we receive the samples and start with the analysis we send you an invoice with the amount due. Once your results are ready, they will be made available to you upon receipt of payment.
Sampling:
What is a buccal swab?
A buccal swab (cheek swab) is a cotton-tipped swab used to collect DNA from the inside of the mouth, quick and painless.
How do I arrange for buccal swabs to be couriered to me?
All you need to do is phone or send us an e-mail indicating that you want to start the paternity testing process. You need to include a delivery address where the buccal swabs should be sent to you during working hours, with the name and telephone number of a contact person.
How do I get the swabs back to you once I’ve used them?
As soon as you have the samples ready, you let us know and we arrange for a courier to come and collect them from you and bring them back to the lab to start the analysis.
How do I know how to use the buccal swabs?
We send very clear and easy to follow instructions to you with the buccal swabs. It tells you exactly how and when to use them, what to do and what not to do, as well as how to package them once they’ve been used.
Will the swab from a newborn baby contain sufficient DNA?
If the swabs are used correctly and the instructions are followed carefully, then yes.
Can I use blood, hair or saliva to do the test?
We use blood (purple-top EDTA tubes), saliva (collected with saliva kits) or buccal swab samples. No other biological material is accepted for testing.
Does blood provide a better sample than a buccal swab?
The use of buccal swabs is an easier and non-invasive way of obtaining DNA for testing and gives the same results as a blood sample.
For how long do samples remain stable
Samples are stable for up to one week provided the swab was dried properly at room temperature and exposure was kept between 20°C and 37°C.
Testing:
What is the process for having a paternity test done?
The process is simple: Once we have your address, we send you buccal swabs with a courier to your home. We will need a sample collected from the inside of the mouth from the alleged father and the child in question. Once the samples are ready, you let us know and we will arrange for it to be collected form your home for DNA testing to be done.
How does the test actually work?
DNA of the alleged father and child is compared to see if it matches. At DNA-level, the paternity test makes use of 16 marker systems. In general, exclusion by two or more systems is accepted as exclusion of paternity. Inclusion by all systems confirms paternity with great certainty.
How accurate is the test?
The test involves 16 loci and results of the paternity test are calculated to be at least 99.99% accurate.
What documentation do I need for a personal test?
The only paperwork needed for doing a home test is a consent form (included in the sampling package sent to you) that must be signed by the person requesting the test, as well legal guardian of the child (if the child is younger than 16). If the couple is not married, the mother is assumed to be the legal guardian.
Results:
What happens to my genetic test results, are they private?
Genetic test results are strictly confidential. GENEdiagnostics only releases test results to the individual or doctor who ordered the test.
How long does it take to get the results?
Results are normally available within 5 working days from the day the samples arrive at our laboratory.
Consent and Persons Involved:
Does the mother of the child need to know that the test is being done?
We need consent from the legal guardian of the child if the child is younger than 16. If the alleged father is the legal guardian, the mother does not need to give consent. If the alleged father and mother are not married or if the mother is the legal guardian, she will need to give consent for legal and ethical reasons. That means that we will need both the mother and alleged father’s signatures on the paternity request form that accompanies the samples.
Testing for Legal Purposes:
What is the difference between a personal test and a legal test?
The difference is that there is no chain of custody followed during the sample collection in the personal test. The personal test is for the clients’ own peace of mind and not for legal use.
Can my paternity test be used in a court of law?
Yes, if the correct chain of custody is followed. For the result to be used legally in court, the alleged father, the child in question, as well as the mother of the child would have to go to a doctor with their ID documents (or birth certificate in the case of the child), as well as verified copies thereof. We will send you the necessary paperwork to take along to the doctor. Both the mother of the child and the alleged father would have to sign this document, but we will only require blood from the alleged father and the child. The doctor needs to label the samples with names and ID numbers and sign the copies of ID, which needs to be returned to us with the completed form and blood samples.
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