DNA tests are triggered in Aragon to verify the paternity of the children

Paternity tests are the order of the day. This Thursday the trial is held for the alleged paternity of the singer Julio Iglesias. It has used a DNA test made from samples of about fifteen objects that were collected from the garbage by a detective. These samples have been analyzed in a laboratory in Zaragoza and have given a positive result. Also this week, the emeritus king Albert II of Belgium has agreed to hand over a sample of his DNA to take a paternity test with Delphine Boël, his alleged daughter, after learning that if he did not do so he would have to pay a fine of 5,000 euros per day. .

These are just the most mediatic examples, but in Aragon, at least 500 paternity tests are carried out each year, while just five years ago about 100 were carried out. These data correspond to the Citogen Genetic Analysis Center of the Aragonese capital, the only which carries out the entire process at its headquarters in Zaragoza. There are other clinics in the Community that work as collaborators with laboratories located in Madrid or Barcelona. Taking these data into account, the number of tests analyzed in Aragón could be higher.

Isabel Navarro, doctor in Molecular and Cellular Biology and director of Citogen, explains that this increase has been constant and that it is mainly due to the popularization of the test: “These analyzes are better known and their price has also been reduced significantly. If ten years ago they could have a cost of around 900 euros, now the amount is less than half”. In fact, an informative paternity test (which cannot be used for a trial) has a cost of around 200 euros and if it has legal validity it amounts to around 400. All this if only the DNA of the father and son is analyzed.

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"Both follow the same protocol, the same analyzes and have the same reliability," recalls Navarro. The difference lies in the documentation that must be provided. For example, for an informative test it is not necessary for the father and son to go to the center, it is not necessary to identify themselves beyond a name and they can even bring the samples themselves. "Its purpose is simply to find out if there is a degree of kinship between the two people," she details.

In the case of tests with legal validity, it is necessary that the people who carry them out are correctly identified with their DNI if they are of legal age and with the birth certificate, the family book and a photograph in the case of being minors. Also, you must have the approval of the tutor. The test with legal validity must be carried out in a laboratory or clinic and the documents related to the chain of custody must be signed. “Those of us who carry out the tests can be called to attend a trial as experts. There they ask us about carrying out the tests, the identity of the people and similar questions, ”she points out Navarro.

Informative paternity tests can also reach the courts. An example is the case of Julio Iglesias, in which the alleged father does not want to undergo the tests. Then a detective is called in to get the sample, check it in a lab, and present it as evidence. "In the event that the judge considers that there is sufficient evidence to support this paternity relationship, he can force the parent to carry out the test with all the guarantees," comments the doctor in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

For these DNA analyzes there are conventional and unconventional samples. Among the former are the buccal mucosa and blood. "In the latter, the list is endless: toothbrush, chewing gum, butt, olive pits, duvets, sheets, diapers or even a napkin or bar spoon," explains Navarro. However, remember that with non-conventional ones there is a greater risk of contamination, starting with the person who collects the sample: "If many people have touched the object, such as a spoon (the waiter, the one who uses it and even the picks it up), a mixed profile may appear, making the test inconclusive.

Inheritance, infidelity and family reunifications

The most common assumptions when carrying out a paternity test are two: when a son wants to prove that someone is his father or vice versa. These circumstances usually occur with issues of inheritance, divorce or infidelity. Pilar Abel underwent the relevant DNA tests to prove that she was the daughter of Salvador Dalí so that she could use the painter's last name and receive her share of her inheritance. Finally the results came back negative. Like this there are many examples and with different endings. Another situation occurs when the minor may be the result of infidelity. After an alleged divorce, the one who considered herself her father would no longer have financial or legal obligations.

They are also often requested for family reunifications. “The sponsor, the person who has already obtained residence in Spain, has the possibility of bringing his family here. There are many countries where the documentation they have is not enough to prove if they are really his children. And they require DNA tests, which are managed through the embassies and requested by the corresponding ministries”, Navarro points out. The center she directs is accredited by the Government to carry out this type of analysis.

The paternity trial of Julio Iglesias, without the singer and with DNA tests analyzed in Zaragoza

How is the test performed?

The first thing is to get the samples. If the interested parties agree, the blood test can be carried out or the oral mucosa collected in the laboratory itself. In the event that more privacy is preferred (and whenever it is for an informative test) there is also a 'kit': with some sterile cotton swabs for the buccal swab accompanied by specific labels for identification and detailed instructions to avoid pollution. In the event that it is impossible to obtain oral mucosa samples, others can be used, such as nails, hair, cigarette butts, toothbrushes or any personal effects that contain biological remains.

Once the tests are in the laboratory, they are registered and anonymized to maintain confidentiality. Next, a DNA extraction is carried out and the amplification of the variable regions called STRs, which constitute the genetic fingerprint of the individual. The usual thing is to analyze 16 of these regions, although the CITOGEN laboratory already works with more advanced technology that allows it to study up to 54. The paternity analysis is based on the comparison between the DNA of the alleged father and the son. An individual inherits half of the genetic material from each of his parents. Each of the STRs includes an allele from the mother and another from the father. Once the concordance between the genetic profiles obtained from the father and son is verified, a statistical study is carried out that allows the probability of paternity to be calculated. If there are more than two or three discrepancies, paternity is excluded.

The paternity test can be performed from the ninth or tenth week of pregnancy

These studies are safer if the mother also participates, although this is not necessary. When the DNA that is taken is not that of the father (because he has died or because he does not want to participate), an indirect test is carried out with relatives (siblings, grandparents or uncles). "The more people who participate, the more likely it is to achieve a conclusive result," emphasizes Navarro. There are also more chances of success the more direct the family relationship.

In addition to the usual tests, a prenatal paternity test can also be performed. "Before, an amniocentesis was necessary to obtain a DNA sample from the baby, but today the technology already allows the result to be known with a single blood test of the pregnant woman," explains Navarro. These tests can be done from the ninth or tenth week of pregnancy.

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