Transfer DNA on Laboratory Gloves: A Potential Complicating Factor in the Interpretation of Forensic DNA Typing Results

Minimizing contamination in a forensic DNA laboratory is imperative for accurate results of the highest possible quality. Such measures as implementing strict personal protective equipment protoco's in the form of laboratory gloves can decrease rates of contamination and assure the reliability...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of forensic identification 2016-07, Vol.66 (4), p.277
Main Authors: Vogelsberg, Caitlin C M, Latham, Krista E, Cale, Cynthia M, Bush, Gay L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Contamination
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA fingerprints
Laboratories
Personal protective equipment
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Summary:Minimizing contamination in a forensic DNA laboratory is imperative for accurate results of the highest possible quality. Such measures as implementing strict personal protective equipment protoco's in the form of laboratory gloves can decrease rates of contamination and assure the reliability of results being produced. This study investigated the possibility of contaminating unused laboratory gloves throughout prolonged box use in a variety of laboratory settings. The study was conducted in two stages, one to assess whether removal of gloves from both new and previously opened glove boxes by gloved or ungloved researchers affected subsequent glove contamination (n = 15) and another to assess general levels of contamination on open glove boxes found in active academic and research laboratories (n = 30). Samples from both stages of the study were amplified using the AmpF...STR Identifiler Plus PCR Amplification Kit. In the first phase, only one sample originating from a previously opened box of gloves yielded results at three loci when visualized at 100 RPU. In the second phase, three samples obtained from boxes in academic laboratories yielded DNA, however, none were quantified from samples obtained from laboratories with strict contamination precaution procedures in place. The results of this study indicate that, although contamination of laboratory gloves is possible through regular glove obtainment, current procedures in laboratories with restricted access and contamination precautions may be sufficient to reduce this potential source of error. (ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.)
ISSN:0895-173X