Testimonials
"Many thanks for being part of a professional team and business that confirmed what I wanted to hear and dispelled my 1% doubt. Hopefully we can now come to an agreement to move forward and provide support our child." T.D.
View All
Cousin DNA Test
From £
Order Now!A cousin DNA test seeks to establish whether first degree cousins are biologically related. International Biosciences receives many requests for cousin testing but does not currently offer it. The reason for this is that a cousins DNA testing will invariably provide a very inconclusive result.
Cousins and Their Maternal Lineage
Cousins who wish to know whether they share a common maternal relative can carry out what is called an X SV test. This test analyses the maternally inherited mtDNA and if the tested parties have the same mtDNA profile they also share a common maternal relative.
mtDNA or mitochondrial DNA is passed on from a mother to her male and female children. All females, in turn, pass on their mtDNA to their children. However, males do not pass their mtDNA and this is a very important point. The birth of a male interrupts the mitochondrial DNA line. In other words, the people tested must have an unbroken, traceable maternal line in order to be able to carry out an mtDNA test.
Science behind the test
Cousin’s DNA testing is inaccurate due to the inheritance pattern of genes in a family. For example, we know that children share around 50% of their genes with their biological mother or father. Aunts and uncles will share around 25% of their genes with their nieces or nephews. When it comes to first cousins, these share only about 12.5% of their genes. This means that 87.5 % of the genetic makeup between first cousins is different. Already tests such as aunt/uncle testing, where test participants share 25% of their genetic makeup, can be challenging for laboratories because of the relatively low percentage of common DNA between aunts and uncles and their nieces or nephews. With just 12.5% of common DNA between first cousins, a test result showing common DNA between the two is likely just due to chance. Genetically speaking, we actually share a lot of DNA with any random individual and if cousins have any common DNA, it would be impossible to determine whether this is due to random chance or to inheritance.
Although some companies do offer cousin DNA testing, these companies cannot offer a conclusive results as current DNA testing technologies have not made this possible. We do not recommend carrying out a cousins test with any company.
Sample Collection
We provide everything you need inside our kit including:
- Swabs for up to 3 people (2 swabs for person)
- Instructions to help you collect your samples
- Consent forms
- Pre-addressed envelope
