Testing Services For Premature Babies
Testing DNA in Premature Babies
From the moment of conception every person has the DNA that will be with them for the rest of their lives. An individuals DNA is formed by the 50/50 matching of chromosomes from the biological father and mother of the individual. It is for this reason that DNA testing can be performed on someone even before their birth and then again years later after their death and the same results and genetic profile would be produced.
Testing of premature babies can be done for a number of reasons, but often centers around the desire for medical personnel to see if the child is susceptible to known diseases or health concerns. It is also often used to establish paternity, especially in cases that involve premature births of unwed mothers or victims of a crime. In some hospitals DNA tests are done automatically (with the mother's consent) at birth to provide a “fingerprint” as it were of the child that can be used throughout their entire life.
The procedure for DNA testing in premature babies is similar to how DNA testing is done in children and adults. However, the preferred choice for taking a sample of DNA is through blood samples rather than cheek cells or hair. This is done primarily because at birth all infants have blood that is drawn to test for other conditions and makes the approach simple.
Once the blood is drawn from the infant the mother will also be asked to provide a DNA sample through her blood or other methods, such as buccal swabbing. If the father is known, he may also be asked to provide a DNA sample as well. The samples will then be taken to the lab where they will be introduced into a gel matrix to separate the bands out through the use of probes. Those bands are then matched back against both the mother and father to verify paternity.
The DNA sample is then used to look for medical conditions that may be described through genetics. Certain health concerns are genetically passed on to infants and can be detected by comparing genetic markers against known markers for the illness. They can also be used to help predict potential health concerns that could develop later in life. Though many health matters are still unknown in how they pass on, as medical science continues to explore the human genetic structure they are learning more about pattern matching for those illnesses that are passed on genetically.
Once the DNA is analyzed and the results are determined it is provided to medical personnel and kept on file at the hospital through standard medical record keeping procedures. This can be useful in the future in cases where children can go missing or be kidnapped to help prove/disprove that the child in question is the missing person. Because of the uniqueness of DNA and the fact that it is present in every cell in the human body it has become the preferred choice over traditional fingerprinting and dental records in helping identify persons who may be either unable to communicate who they are or dead.
It should be noted that DNA testing is still in its infancy, though medical professionals can determine a lot of information from the DNA the science itself is still evolving. There are literally millions of possible markers that can identify certain characteristics and they are being mapped every day. Some day it is hoped that through DNA testing we will be able to accurately map out most diseases, illnesses and better understand what makes each and everyone of us unique – from our hair color all the way to how we store and process information.