NCJ Number
145914
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 38 Issue: 6 Dated: (November 1993) Pages: 1482-1487
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paternity study was performed with trios in which the putative father was not the biological father (NBF), so as to evaluate adjustment of genetic markers used to disclose nonbiological fathers for the population and the biological meaning of likelihood of paternity in casework.
Abstract
All 923 generated trios had ABO, Rh, MNS, Kell, and HLA systems tested; 372 of them also had Duffy and Kidd systems tested. The most powerful exclusion system was HLA, followed in order of effectiveness by ABO, Rh, Duffy, MNSs, Kidd, and Kell. Taking into account the Indian/black/white historical miscegenation background in the population, an improvement in the performance of red blood cells as disclosers of nonbiological fathers could be achieved, if particular additional sera were used. In the group tested with seven different systems, direct exclusions were observed in 90.31 percent, and they were single system exclusions in 26.61 percent. So as to avoid the remote possibility of mutation, it is suggested that the number of used systems be increased. Indirect exclusions were verified in 8.87 percent and only 0.81 percent of NBF were not excluded at all. In this last group, probabilities of paternity were calculated, and two values greater than 95 percent were obtained. In assisting the court, the expert should equally emphasize the probability of paternity of the alleged father and the possibility of finding an unexcluded NBF; the actual performance of systems used to uncover NBF, together with the probabilities of paternity of those who were not discovered; and the previous referenced trend of probabilities of paternity of true and of nonbiological fathers to cluster in distinct class intervals of paternity likelihood. 5 tables and 14 references