Application of forensic identity testing in a clinical setting. Specimen identification.

Specimen identification is a carefully controlled factor in clinical laboratory testing. However, on occasion, despite surmountable efforts to prevent misidentification, a specimen is either mislabeled or an identifier is lost. Recently, we experienced a case of questionable mix-up of surgical specimens where the surgeon and patient questioned the biopsy site and size of specimen as indicated in the anatomic pathology report. Despite extensive tracking mechanisms, the perception of specimen mix-up warranted further means of identification. We utilized the PM + DQA1 amplification and typing system to confirm that typing results of a questionable biopsy were identical to typing results on a previous biopsy on the same patient and to the patient's blood. We demonstrate that this system is ideal for rapid DNA typing and identification of clinical specimens and that it can be performed on DNA isolated from paraffinembedded tissues.