[Immunological identification of human hemoglobin--a practical system for detecting human bloodstains]

Identification of human blood is very important in the practice of criminal investigation. Methods that are species-specific and highly sensitive usually require special laboratory equipment. To develop a method that is specific, sensitive, and convenient for use at the crime scene, we applied a sandwich-hybridization method for human blood identification. The test kit, which uses anti-human hemoglobin (Hb) monoclonal antibody, showed high species specificity and could detect as little as 20 ng human Hb. Cross-reactivity was observed only to baboon. It was able to detect dilutions up to 5,000,000 times and to identify a 15.5-year-old human bloodstain. Because the method is rapid (2 minutes) and does not require any special equipment, it is considered useful for crime scene investigation.