Maternal Cell Contamination (MCC) testing detects maternal DNA in fetal samples to ensure accurate prenatal genetic results and prevent diagnostic errors.
Maternal Cell Contamination (MCC) occurs when maternal cells mix with fetal or placental tissue during prenatal procedures like CVS or amniocentesis. Since maternal and fetal DNA are ~50% similar, even small amounts of maternal cells can mask fetal mutations or cause false results potentially leading to misdiagnosis of aneuploidy if undetected.