CANBERRA, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Household pets may play a surprising role in solving crimes, with new Australian research showing that dogs and cats can carry and transfer human DNA.
The research confirms the potential for police forensic investigators to carefully consider the presence of pets at crime scenes, as a credible new avenue for finding and investigating DNA leads to solve the case, said a statement from Australia's Flinders University on Tuesday.
The long-running research by Flinders University and Victoria Police experts in the Australian state of Victoria demonstrates how dogs and cats can be tested for indirect DNA transfer at crime scenes from people other than householders or pet owners, the statement said.
"Dogs and cats are present in the majority of households worldwide and they routinely interact with multiple people and environments," said Heidi Monkman, PhD student from Flinders University's College of Science and Engineering.
Dogs and cats act as DNA transfer intermediaries, with major implications for cases where animals are present, said Monkman, lead author of several research articles on the topic.
The research found that even short contact between pets and suspects leaves detectable human DNA on pets, which dogs and cats then carry and spread across homes and other locations.
"Awareness and use of this phenomenon could offer investigators important clues when piecing together evidence in serious criminal cases," Monkman said.
The studies tested DNA transfer via controlled pet-volunteer interactions. Owner DNA on pets can transfer to mock offenders, potentially linking them to crime scenes, she said, adding the DNA can also reach locations that the owners never touched, possibly linking them to crime scenes where they were not present.
"We are exploring the potential for cats and dogs to be silent witnesses, to act as vectors of contamination and transfer at residential crime scenes," said Monkman. ■
