Influence of the temperature on the detection of fluorescent Y-bodies in blood stains

An investigation on the significance of the temperature when examining the presence of Y-bodies in cells from blood stains was performed. Stains on cotton cloth were placed at 53 °C and 5 °C respectively, and the results were compared with those of an earlier report on stains stored at room temperature. There proved to be a much more rapid decline of the male count, and false negative results appeared earlier. This was most pronounced for the “cold” stains. No false positives were found. Twenty-five fresh blood smears from one male were examined in order to get an impression of the accidental variation. It was found that even in the case of a male with a rather low count (mean: 28%) the chance of accidentally getting a false negative result (<10%) was less than 2%.