title: Nondestructive Biological Evidence Collection with Alternative Swabs and Adhesive Lifters.
abstract: In forensic science, biological material is typically collected from evidence via wet/dry double swabbing with cotton swabs, which is effective but can visibly damage an item's surface. When an item's appearance must be maintained, dry swabbing and tape-lifting may be employed as collection techniques that are visually nondestructive to substrates' surfaces. This study examined the efficacy of alternative swab matrices and adhesive lifters when collecting blood and fingerprints from glass, painted drywall, 100% cotton, and copy paper. Data were evaluated by determining the percent profile and quality score for each STR profile generated. Hydraflock(®) swabs, BVDA Gellifters(®) , and Scenesafe FAST™ tape performed as well as or better than cotton swabs when collecting fingerprints from painted drywall and 100% cotton. Collection success was also dependent on the type of biological material sampled and the substrate on which it was deposited. These results demonstrated that alternative swabs and adhesive lifters can be effective for nondestructive DNA collection from various substrates.
authors.affiliation: The Bode Technology Group, 10430 Furnace Road, Suite 107, Lorton, VA, 22079.
authors.forename: Dane T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Plaza
authors.affiliation: The Bode Technology Group, 10430 Furnace Road, Suite 107, Lorton, VA, 22079.
authors.forename: Jamia L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Mealy
authors.affiliation: The Bode Technology Group, 10430 Furnace Road, Suite 107, Lorton, VA, 22079.
authors.forename: J Nicholas
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.affiliation: The Bode Technology Group, 10430 Furnace Road, Suite 107, Lorton, VA, 22079.
authors.forename: M Neal
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.affiliation: The Bode Technology Group, 10430 Furnace Road, Suite 107, Lorton, VA, 22079.
authors.forename: Abigail S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bathrick
authors.affiliation: The Bode Technology Group, 10430 Furnace Road, Suite 107, Lorton, VA, 22079.
authors.forename: Donia P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Slack
mesh_terms: D000269:Adhesives; D001769:Blood; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D003878:Dermatoglyphics; D044707:Forensic Sciences / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000269:Adhesives
keywords: adhesive lifters; evidence sampling; flocked swab; foam swab; forensic genetics; forensic science; microfiber swab; nondestructive; tape-lifting; trace DNA