Applications of forensic identity testing in the clinical laboratory

DNA analysis is becoming routine in the clinical laboratory for the diagnosis of human diseases using various tissue sources. Most clinical specimens are followed by tracking forms that include patient demographic data, accession number, and date and time of collection. As part of a thorough quality assurance program, proper documentation of test requisitions and tracking forms is mandatory. Despite these efforts, specimen mislabeling or other mix-ups can, and do, occur. We demonstrate the utility of the PM + DQA1 typing kit and STR analysis using the Visible Genetics automated DNA sequencing system in the proper identification of such clinical specimens as urine, blood, and paraffin-embedded tissues. In each case, sufficient DNA was extracted from these specimen types using a nonorganic extraction protocol for typing purposes. We conclude that DNA typing methods are feasible for distinguishing clinical laboratory specimens of questionable identity and compliment existing quality assurance techniques.