Dna Exitus Plus™ Versus Standard Bleach Solution for the Removal of Dna Contaminants on Work Surfaces and Tools.

Abstract

DNA Exitus Plus™ is a relatively new product developed by the German company, Applichem to be used for the removal of DNA contaminants in the workspace. Like the more common method of using 10% bleach solution, DNA Exitus Plus™ uses non-hazardous and biodegradable ingredients to cause strand breakages as well as degradation of DNA. This is desirable so as to avoid DNA contamination by amplifiable DNA present on work areas or tools being used for the highly sensitive process of DNA extraction and quantification. The goal of this research was to test the effectiveness of DNA Exitus Plus™ on different surfaces found around the laboratory and to compare its effectiveness against a 10% bleach solution. DNA Exitus Plus™ or 10% bleach solution was sprayed on the contaminated areas and allowed to sit. The areas were swabbed with moistened cotton swabs to collect any DNA present. DNA was collected from the swabs using the Buccal Swab Spin Protocol and was detected using a Quantifiler® Human DNA Quantification Kit by Applied Biosystems, Inc. While some surfaces showed DNA detectable on both the bleach and DNA Exitus Plus™ cleaned surfaces, all the test samples showed that the quantities of DNA were below the levels that could be successfully genotyped.

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Keywords:   Forensic Science; DNA Contamination; DNA Exitus Plus™; DNA;  Bleach; Work Area.