Did the DNA tests

Swapped babies: “Certainly not an everyday case”

Human geneticist Erwin Petek also carried out the crucial DNA test.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Jürgen Fuchs, Barbara Winkler)

Erwin Petek carried out the DNA tests on the families of the switched babies in Styria. We spoke to the human geneticist at his workplace, the Medical University of Graz, about the complex analysis procedure and a certain gut feeling that you develop over the years in this sensitive field of work.

Erwin Petek has dealt with many tricky cases - but the case of the switched babies was something special, even for the experienced expert. The expert witness assisted the Grünwald family with their first DNA test nine years ago: "It's not an everyday situation for me either. Back then, I witnessed how close the whole story was to those affected. When they came to me again, this time with the supposedly 'right' ones on their hands, I immediately thought - this could be a match. There is a strong visual resemblance."

In the case of the two families, you could be forgiven for thinking that everyone looks a bit like everyone else. Now clarity has finally been achieved.

Dr. Erwin Petek

Bild: Barbara Winkler

"The process is time-consuming"
You have to wait several days for the results of a DNA test, as was the case here - a test of patience for those affected. Why does it take so long? "The process is simply time-consuming. You take cells from the buccal mucosa. These have to be broken up, for example by heating, in order to extract the DNA. Certain sections of this DNA are then amplified. If no clear result is obtained in the first round, the test must be extended. Of course, it always depends on how busy the equipment and staff are at the time."

Petek knows from experience that life often has the most unusual twists and turns in store. How those affected deal with them is as varied as their stories themselves. But if there is one lesson he would draw from all these years, it is this: act before it is too late. "As soon as you suspect that something might be wrong, you should clarify the situation. Otherwise, this thought will stay with you for the rest of your life - right up to your deathbed."