Question

a mr. and mrs. lexington have just brought a new bundle of joy home from the hospital. however, when they arrived home, they noticed that the foot bracelet on the baby’s ankle read a different last name. to be sure that they had the right baby, they requested a dna profile. below are the results from the test.
task: highlight the alleles that are shared between the baby and father. in a different color, highlight the alleles shared between the baby and mother.
did a mix - up occur at this hospital? explain your answer.

Explanation:

1. Allele Matching:

• Baby-Father shared alleles: The baby's top allele matches the father's second set of alleles; the baby's second allele matches the father's first allele; the baby's third set of alleles matches the father's third set of alleles; the baby's fifth allele matches the father's fourth allele; the baby's sixth allele matches the father's fifth set of alleles.
• Baby-Mother shared alleles: The baby's top allele matches the mother's top set of alleles; the baby's second allele matches the mother's second set of alleles; the baby's third set of alleles matches the mother's second set of alleles; the baby's fourth set of alleles matches the mother's third allele; the baby's fifth allele matches the mother's fourth allele; the baby's sixth allele matches the mother's fifth allele.

1. Mix-up Conclusion: Every allele in the baby's DNA profile can be matched to either the father's or mother's DNA profile. This follows the genetic rule that a child inherits 50% of their DNA from each biological parent.

Answer:

• Shared Baby-Father Alleles:

1. Baby's top allele ↔ Father's second pair of alleles
2. Baby's second allele ↔ Father's first allele
3. Baby's third pair of alleles ↔ Father's third pair of alleles
4. Baby's fifth allele ↔ Father's fourth allele
5. Baby's sixth allele ↔ Father's fifth pair of alleles

• Shared Baby-Mother Alleles:

1. Baby's top allele ↔ Mother's top pair of alleles
2. Baby's second allele ↔ Mother's second pair of alleles
3. Baby's third pair of alleles ↔ Mother's second pair of alleles
4. Baby's fourth pair of alleles ↔ Mother's third allele
5. Baby's fifth allele ↔ Mother's fourth allele
6. Baby's sixth allele ↔ Mother's fifth allele

• Mix-up Question: No, a mix-up did not occur. Every segment of the baby's DNA has a matching segment in either the father's or mother's DNA profile, which confirms the baby inherited DNA from both Mr. and Mrs. Lexington, so this is their biological child.