STR analysis of artificially degraded DNA-results of a collaborative European exercise.

Degradation of human DNA extracted from forensic stains is, in most cases, the result of a natural process due to the exposure of the stain samples to the environment. Experiences with degraded DNA from casework samples show that every sample may exhibit different properties in this respect, and that it is difficult to systematically assess the performance of routinely used typing systems for the analysis of degraded DNA samples. Using a batch of artificially degraded DNA with an average fragment size of approx.

Individual identification of cats and dogs using mitochondrial DNA tandem repeats?

Cats and dogs are very common animals in the human environment. In Switzerland, one in five households owns a cat or a dog. Their hairs are very easily transferred and could be used as a frequent trace evidence.

DNA typing for identification of some species of Calliphoridae. An interest in forensic entomology.

To determine precisely post mortem interval, larvae and puparium species found on a corpse have to be identified. Among more than 200 cases examined at the entomology department of the Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale, two-thirds concerned corpses less than one month old. Therefore, insects from first and second screwworms are the most frequently found [1].

PCR DNA typing of stamps: evaluation of the DNA extraction.

Today, the PCR analysis of DNA from the saliva deposited on a stamp of an anonymous letter can lead to an identification. However, this analysis still involves problems, and DNA extraction can be particularly difficult. A comparative study of two DNA extraction methods with two categories of postage stamps was carried out and a purification process was tested.