User:FeloniousMunk/Phadebas

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The Phadebas Forensic Press test is used as a presumptive test for saliva.

There are other bodily substances that can test positive for alpha-amylase using the Phadebas Forensic Press test. Some examples include faeces, semen, urine and tears. Although there is possibility of false positives from other sources of amylase, the instructions for use published by Phadebas Forensic state that no other forensically relevant biological fluid (with the exception of faeces) will react within 10 minutes of performing the test. It is also been shown that certain undiluted detergents can cause a positive reaction when tested with the Phadebas amylase test. The test is not human specific; it is sensitive to saliva from other species, amylase from microbes such as Baccilus and extracts from certain plants including apple and cabbage.

One alternatives to the Phadebas test is the RSID-saliva test (Independent Forensics, Hillside, IL). The RSID-saliva test is an immunochromatographic assay that relies on the interaction between α-amylase and the human α-amylase antibody. It has been observed to be more sensitive than the Phadebas test, and cross-react to fewer non-human saliva amylase sources.