The body’s various fluids as well as its various secretions contain DNA. Based on this, it is possible to know – through the comparison of DNA – to whom a certain body fluid or secretion belongs.
Every bodily fluid has specific and unique characteristics which make it different from any other body fluid. These characteristics are the basis for examinations of stains suspected to be body fluids.
At the Institute of Forensic Science, we both identify various body fluids and produce DNA from these fluids, without depending on substrates or the medium in which they are found.
The comparison of body fluids makes it possible to answer, among others, the following questions:
- What type of body fluid are we looking at?
- To whom does the body fluid belong?
- What is the significance of the body fluid’s presence at a certain location?
The examination of body fluids is very important for criminal investigations and family law.
If a found stain contains body fluid which has DNA from two different individuals, it is not always possible to know which person contributed the body fluid in question.