What precautions should be taken when collecting biological evidence?

• A. Use disposable gloves, package each stained object separately, and assume all body fluids are infectious.
• B. Wear no gloves to avoid contaminating samples.
• C. Shake the evidence to remove contaminants.
• D. Only collect DNA if visible blood is present.

Answer: (A)

Handling biological evidence requires contamination control and universal precautions. You wear disposable gloves to prevent transferring material between items and to protect yourself from potential pathogens. Package each stained object separately in appropriate containers to prevent cross-contamination and preserve the evidence's original distribution. Treat every body fluid as potentially infectious to guide proper PPE, decontamination, and disposal practices. Shaking the evidence is not appropriate because it can aerosolize or spread material and compromise evidence integrity. Collecting DNA only if visible blood is present is incorrect because DNA can be recovered from many biological materials beyond visible blood, and investigators gather all relevant evidence, not just what appears to be blood.