How to Review Your DNA Testing and Interpret Results

How to Review Your DNA Testing and Interpret Results

You’ve got enough information to keep track of, so why not let Herdbook help you with DNA records? Whether you ordered a DNA test years ago or just had that new bull transferred into your name, there’s an easy way to view all the DNA testing done on an animal that’s owned under your member account.

1. Log in to Herdbook.

2. Look up the animal in question by tattoo or ASA registration number.

3. On the animal’s pedigree page, in the bottom right under the box titled “Reports”,
select “DNA Detail”.

4. From here, you can view a comprehensive list of all DNA testing that was requested or completed.

Below are some common entries with brief explanations:

1. Kit Requests

When the request for a DNA kit (or paperwork for a sample already on-hand) is uploaded and billed to your Herdbook account, the DNA record will be in “Kit_Request” status. This status will not change until the sample has finished testing and results are uploaded to Herdbook. If you have requested a sample pull for a specific trait or panel, “Kit_Request” is replaced with “Sample_Pull”. When testing is complete, the DNA results or term “Complete” will replace “Kit_Request” or “Sample_Pull”.

The DNA department encourages members to call our office approximately ONE WEEK after the “Kit_Request” status has been posted to make sure your sample arrived at the lab.

2. Sample Failed Testing

Does your sample or order seem to be taking longer than usual to run? The lab
will run a sample three separate times before calling it failed, and it’s the responsibility of the owner to collect, submit, and pay for new testing. Occasionally, a sample may pass some testing, but fail others (e.g. the sample may have passed the 100K panel and receive GE-EPD, but the coat color add-on testing failed). In these particular cases, Neogen and ASA recommend collecting and submitting a new sample; however, it is possible to request a sample pull on the original sample to run for the failed trait again.*

*Any tissue sample that passed 100K testing but failed in a simple trait (coat color or horned/polled), can be pulled by request of the owner and re-run for the failed simple trait at no cost. Note: if the sample pull failed to produce results again, the member must submit a new sample and they are responsible for all testing charges. The member/owner is responsible to requesting any sort of re-test after a sample or trait failed.

3. Results Uploaded – With Parent Exclusion

Any sire or dam entered on the test request form will be automatically run in a parentage analysis before results are uploaded to Herdbook. If a parent doesn’t qualify, the animal’s record (including EPDs) will immediately be suspended.* In the example below, the sample did not qualify to the sire; the “Y” under the “Found” column indicates the sire does have DNA on file, but the “N” under “Qualifies” denotes he is not the likely sire of this sample. The dam has “N” under the “Found” column, indicating she does not have DNA on file to compare to the sample.

*The most efficient way to resolve parent exclusions is to send the ASA registration number(s) of alternate sire(s) and/or dam(s) to dna@simmgene.com. These rechecks are run manually by the ASA DNA staff, so please allow for 1-3 business days for results as requests are handled in the order in which they are received. If the alternate parent qualifies, the pedigree is updated and record suspension is removed.