Highlights
- •This study evaluated maximum allele count of mixtures with expanded U.S. core loci.
- •There was no significant improvement as compared to previous U.S. core loci panel.
- •Maximum allele count was accurate for two person male mixtures based on 3 Y-STRs.
- •The maximum allele count method is not reliable beyond three person mixtures.
Abstract
DNA mixtures are more frequently encountered in casework due to increased kit sensitivity,
protocols with increased cycle number, and requests for low copy number DNA samples
to be tested. Generally, the first step in mixture interpretation is determining the
number of contributors, with the most common approach of maximum allele count. Although
there are previous studies regarding the accuracy of this approach, none have evaluated
the accuracy with the newly expanded U.S. core STR loci. In this work, 4,976,355 theoretical
mixture combinations were generated with the PowerPlex® Fusion 6C system which includes 23 autosomal STR loci and three Y-STR loci. The number
of contributors could be correctly assumed for 100% two-person and 99.99% three-person
mixtures, whereas, four-, five-, and six-person mixtures were correctly assumed in
89.7%, 57.3%, and 7.8% of mixtures, respectively. Y-STR analysis showed the 3 Y-STR
markers are only accurate for two-person male mixtures (96.7%). This work demonstrates
that maximum allele count using the expanded U.S. core loci is not much improved from
previous smaller panels, reiterating that this method is not as accurate beyond three
contributors.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 20, 2017
Accepted:
November 12,
2017
Received in revised form:
November 6,
2017
Received:
August 23,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
