forensic serology forensic science. copyright © texas education agency 2011. all rights reserved....

Forensic SerologyForensic Science

Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved.Images and other multimedia content used with permission.

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The Composition of Blood

• A complex mixture of cells, enzymes, proteins, and inorganic substances

• It mainly consists of– Erythrocytes = red blood cells (rbc)– Leukocytes = white blood cells (wbc)– Platelets = clotting factors – Plasma = the liquid part

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The Composition of Blood (continued)

• Antigens, usually proteins, are located on surface of rbc’s and are responsible for blood types

• Antibodies recognize and bind to specific antigens

• There is a specific antibody for every antigen that will react to form clumps; this is known as agglutination

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A-B-O Blood System

Blood Type Antigens on Red Blood Cells Antibodies in SerumA A anti-BB B anti-AAB A and B Neither anti-A nor BO Neither A nor B Both anti-A and B

Type A agglutinates with anti-A, B agglutinates with anti-B, AB agglutinates with both anti-A and anti-B, and O will not agglutinate with either serum

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Blood Donors and Recipients

BLOOD TYPE DONATES TO RECEIVES FROMA A, AB A, OB B, AB B, OAB AB A, B, BA, OO A, B, AB, O O

Type AB blood is known as the universal recipient and Type O, which is the most common among humans, is known as the universal donor

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RH Factor

• Rh (Rhesus) factor is another important blood antigen• It is a protein that some people carry, sometimes referred to

as the D antigen• People with the D antigen are said to be Rh positive (+) and

those without are Rh negative (-)• Important to the compatibility of donors and recipients• An Rh+ person can receive Rh+ or Rh- blood, but an Rh-

person can only receive Rh-• The blood is Rh+ if it agglutinates with anti-D or Rh- if it does

not

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Genetics of Blood

• Blood types are determined by looking at 2 inherited genes (one from each parent)

• There are 3 alleles for blood types: A, B, and O, with 6 possible combinations

BLOOD TYPE ALLELE COMBINATIONSA AA, AOB BB, BOAB ABO OO

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Punnet Square for Blood

• A Punnet square can be used to determine the blood types of offspring from specific parent genotypes

• Example: what are the possible blood types for the offspring belonging to a Type AB female and a Type O male?

Answer: Type A and Type B

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The Forensics of Blood

• Investigators must answer 3 questions:– Is it blood?

– Is it human or animal blood?

– Whose blood is it?

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Is It Blood?

• Presumptive (color) tests – Kastle-Meyer – turns bright pink; used for visible

stains– Luminol – glows a luminescent blue; used for

invisible stains

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Is It Human or Animal Blood?

• Precipitin test– Human blood is injected into an animal (usually a

rabbit)– Antibodies neutralize the invading human blood to

form human antiserum– The questioned bloodstain is layered on top of the

antiserum in a capillary tube– A band is formed at the interface of the two liquids

*Other commonly encountered animal blood can be tested this way as well to have a supply of antisera from different organisms

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Whose Blood Is It?

• A DNA analysis must be performed to determine exactly who the blood belongs to

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Characterization of Blood Evidence

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS• What species does it belong to?• What blood type is it?• What is the Rh factor?• Does the evidence have

diseases present?

INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS• DNA analysis

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Bloodstain Pattern Analysis

• Important factors of blood spatter– Appearance– Distribution– Location

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Bloodstain Pattern Analysis(continued)

Sources of bloodstains includePassive (dripping)

Transfer

Projected

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• Surface texture can change the appearance of a blood drop• The direction of travel can be determined when blood strikes

a surface because the pointed end of each drop faces its direction of travel

• The angle of impact is determined by measuring the width and the length of the drop, dividing the width by the length, then finding the inverse sin– The drop will be circular at right angles to the surface– As the angle decreases, the drop elongates

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• The origin of spatter– Draw straight lines through the long axis of

several bloodstains– The intersection is called the area of

convergence

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Other Body Fluids: Saliva

• Consists of – Water– Mucin, for swallowing– Amylase, for digestion– Buccal cells; cheek cells

• A good source of DNA

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Other Body Fluids: Saliva (continued)

• It is particularly associated with sexual assaults and bite marks

• Test for Saliva– Mix starch, iodine, and the sample of presumed

saliva– Starch turns dark blue or purple in the presence of

iodine– However, amylase breaks down starch– If the sample is saliva, the color will fade

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Other Body Fluids: Semen

• Consists of – Water– Spermatozoa– Enzymes– Inorganic salts

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Other Body Fluids: Semen (continued)

PRESUMPTIVE TEST• Semen fluoresces under UV

light• Acid phosphatase, an

enzyme secreted by the prostate gland, turns purple to indicate semen is present

CONFIRMATORY TEST• Microscopic examination

may reveal spermatozoa• DNA typing must be done to

individualize the sample

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Other Body Fluids: Urine

• Most often, urine is used in the identification of the presence of specific drugs in the body

• EMIT (Enzyme-Multiplied Immunoassay Technique) reveals how antibodies bind to specific drugs that may be present in urine

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• 0135158494, Saferstein, Richard. Forensic Science: An Introduction. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011.

• 0536522820, Saferstein, Richard. Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ; Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.

• Do an Internet search for the following: The Case of Dr. Samuel Sheppard by Fred McGunagle

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