Paternity testing primer

Paternity test: This test is done to determine whether a particular man could be the biological father of a particular child.

How it's done: Memorial Blood Centers primarily uses swab samples to determine DNA, with an accuracy rate of 99 percent. (Other options include blood collection, cord blood sampling and extracting amniotic fluid from a mother.) Four swabs are rubbed firmly against the inside of the cheek. "We run along the cheeks to get cells that the body naturally sloughs off," said the Centers' Mary Mount. "Inside the nucleus of those cells, the DNA is located."

How fast, how long? Results are available usually within 10 business days. The cost is $495 for a family of three; $165 for each additional person.

How many? Nationally, the number of DNA tests has grown from 77,000 in 1988 to 400,000 in 2006. The Centers, which has the only Minnesota-based lab, does 1,200 DNA tests a year.

We would like to invite you to call Toll Free 1-877-217-4289 to discuss your needs with one of our professionals. Our physical address is within Dallas, Texas. Call for directions.