A South Salt Lake-based genetics company announced Monday an over-the-counter DNA paternity test kit — purportedly the first DNA test sold in retail stores.

The Identigene DNA paternity test collection kit was initially offered in test markets in California, Oregon and Washington beginning last November.

Identigene's chief operating officer, Doug Fogg, said Monday that the test kit would be available starting today in 4,363 Rite Aid stores in 30 states across the country as well as more than 180 Meijer stores in six Midwestern states. Negotiations are under way for additional retail outlets.

The kit retails for $29.99 and requires a $119 laboratory processing fee to obtain results.

"It introduces a very convenient and affordable option for individuals looking to establish the paternity of a child," Fogg said. "In fact, we're finding that many people purchased the kit for someone they know that needs the test."

The collection kit includes cotton swabs that are used to rub inside the child's and possible father's cheek. The samples are then put into envelopes and mailed to the Sorenson Genomics lab for processing, with results returned in three to five business days.

"The unique concept with this is that you don't necessarily have to involve attorneys or physicians," said Fogg. "It's a private test that you can simply do yourself.

"This is not designed for legal purposes. It would be challenged in court — not the results, but the method in which the samples were collected."

Fogg said that for a court-admissible test, the samples are collected by a third-party specimen collection service that will witness the chain of custody of the samples and verify the identities of the individual sample providers.

He said 6,000 of the kits were returned for processing during the nearly five-month test period for the Identigene DNA test kits. Besides paternity testing, he said, some individuals use the DNA tests to confirm lineage for medical histories and myriad personal reasons.

Other available home DNA paternity tests can range from $99 to several hundred dollars and are purchased online. Identigene also offers an online test for $249 and a legal DNA paternity test for $399, counting the lab fees.

Identigene, a subsidiary of Sorenson Genomics, began developing the over-the-counter DNA kit more than a year ago, Fogg said. He added that the degree of accuracy is virtually certain.

"Either there is the establishment of paternity or not," he said. "It's typically at 99.99 percent." Fogg added that there are controls to prevent fraud by individuals submitting samples.

"We can detect whether it's human DNA or animal DNA. We can also detect gender," he said, adding that the results are only as good as the honesty of the individual provider.

He said the lab discards specimens after six months but retains results for five years.

Sorenson Genomics offers DNA tests for purposes of paternity, immigration, child custody, family law, estate settlements and other familial situations.

"The science of DNA is extremely accurate and really it's all about peace of mind," Fogg said. "This is a very inexpensive first step."

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E-mail: jlee@desnews.com