An investigation into the background levels of DNA and saliva typically detectable on penises.

Cara Woollacott, Duncan Taylor, Roland A H van Oorschot, Mariya Goray

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in International journal of legal medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Cara WoollacottCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, 5042, Australia. cara.woollacott@flinders.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-7354-5582

Duncan TaylorCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, 5042, Australia.

Roland A H van OorschotVictoria Police Forensic Services Department, Office of Chief Forensic Scientist, Macleod, VIC, 3085, Australia.

Mariya GorayCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, 5042, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sexual assault offences are a global issue prominent across various communities, often involving vaginal, oral or anal penetration with a penis. Challenges are often presented to forensic scientists in court regarding how DNA got to the collection point, when evaluating penile samples taken in association with sexual assault offences. These challenges are the result of a lack of research addressing prevalence and persistence of self and non-self-DNA on a penis following everyday activities. This research investigated the prevalence of self- and non-self-DNA on penises following everyday activities, with no imposed conditions. Forty-one adult participants self-collected samples from the head and shaft of their penis, using wet and dry swabbing. Reference samples from the donors and volunteering co-habitants or partners were collected to establish the source of self- and non-self-DNA detected. The RSID

Indexed as

DNAPenisSalivaAdultDNA FingerprintingFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSex OffensesSpecimen HandlingYoung AdultDNABackground DNADNA prevalenceDNA transferForeign DNAPenisSaliva

Identifiers

PMID41236619

DOI10.1007/s00414-025-03654-4

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.