Shedder status—An analysis over time and assessment of various contributing factors

Abstract

AbstractThe shedder status of a person is an important consideration when evaluating probabilities of DNA transfer during activity‐level assessments. As an extension of our previously published study, the shedder statuses of 38 individuals were reassessed 1 year later. The study found that shedder status may change over time for some individuals and was associated with one's gender, number of items touched, and mobile phone usage. In 29% of touch events, no DNA allele was detected and in 99% of touch events, the amount of DNA deposited was <2 ng. The study also found that in 0.6% of touch events, the participant could be excluded as a contributor of the observed DNA profile, with another person being included. Additionally, our investigations suggest that the current three‐category system for shedder status classification may require further refinement to better represent the individuals' shedder status in a population.