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Electrostatic sampling of trace DNA from clothing

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Abstract

During acts of physical aggression, offenders frequently come into contact with clothes of the victim, thereby leaving traces of DNA-bearing biological material on the garments. Since tape-lifting and swabbing, the currently established methods for non-destructive trace DNA sampling from clothing, both have their shortcomings in collection efficiency and handling, we thought about a new collection method for these challenging samples. Testing two readily available electrostatic devices for their potential to sample biological material from garments made of different fabrics, we found one of them, the electrostatic dust print lifter (DPL), to perform comparable to well-established sampling with wet cotton swabs. In simulated aggression scenarios, we had the same success rate for the establishment of single aggressor profiles, suitable for database submission, with both the DPL and wet swabbing. However, we lost a substantial amount of information with electrostatic sampling, since almost no mixed aggressor-victim profiles suitable for database entry could be established, compared to conventional swabbing. This study serves as a proof of principle for electrostatic DNA sampling from items of clothing. The technique still requires optimization before it might be used in real casework. But we are confident that in the future it could be an efficient and convenient contribution to the toolbox of forensic practitioners.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Monique Zimmermann, Christoph Schneider, and Emma Stoisser for technical assistance, Britta Stoop and Mirco Hecht for critical reading of the manuscript, and all volunteers for their willingness to participate in the simulated aggression experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Molecular Biology Department, University of Bern, Sulgenauweg 40, 3007, Bern, Switzerland

    Martin Zieger & Silvia Utz

  2. Bern Cantonal Police, Nordring 30, 3001, Bern, Switzerland

    Priscille Merciani Defaux

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  1. Martin Zieger
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  2. Priscille Merciani Defaux
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  3. Silvia Utz
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Correspondence to Martin Zieger.

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Zieger, M., Defaux, P.M. & Utz, S. Electrostatic sampling of trace DNA from clothing. Int J Legal Med 130, 661–667 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-015-1312-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-015-1312-1

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