Identification of Skeletal Remains of Communist Armed Forces Victims During and After World War II: Combined Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat (STR) and MiniSTR Approach

Marjanović, Damir; Durmić-Pašić, Adaleta; Kovačević, Lejla; Avdic, J.; Džehverović, Mirela; Haverić, Sanin; Ramić, Jasmin; Kalamujić, Belma; Lukić-Bilela, Lada; Škaro, Vedrana; Projić, Petar; Bajroviç, Kasım; Drobnič, Katja; Davoren, Jon; Primorac, Dragan

doi:10.3325/cmj.2009.50.296

Cited by 36 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Genetic typing by STR loci analysis has over the last two decades (3-5) become a primary method of choice for the identification of human remains. The latest studies conducted on the WWII samples (4,5,16-19) were done using STR techniques instead of mtDNA, which used to be the mostly used identification method for the samples from that period (20).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When it comes to skeletal remains from World War II (WWII), DNA analysis has already proved to be efficient, and in most cases, the only applicable approach to human identification (4,5). Furthermore, a seven-decade long soil deposition is a significant adverse factor, which is why most of the laboratories use optimized procedures in the analysis of these samples.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, a seven-decade long soil deposition is a significant adverse factor, which is why most of the laboratories use optimized procedures in the analysis of these samples. Over the last 20 years, DNA identification of victims of the wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) (6) and Croatia in the 1990s (3), the analysis of WWII skeletal remains in Slovenia (4,5), and the analysis of several centuries old archeological samples (7) successfully identified a number of human skeletal remains and overcame a number of challenges, such as optimization of DNA extraction protocols, specific laboratory procedures, communication with the relatives, etc. Here we once again utilized the experience gained from these projects to identify skeletal remains from the WWII mass graves in B&H.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Identification of human remains from the Second World War mass graves uncovered in Bosnia and Herzegovina

et al. 2015

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AimTo present the results obtained in the identification of human remains from World War II found in two mass graves in Ljubuški, Bosnia and Herzegovina.MethodsSamples from 10 skeletal remains were collected. Teeth and femoral fragments were collected from 9 skeletons and only a femoral fragment from 1 skeleton. DNA was isolated from bone and teeth samples using an optimized phenol/chloroform DNA extraction procedure. All samples required a pre-extraction decalcification with EDTA and additional post-extraction DNA purification using filter columns. Additionally, DNA from 12 reference samples (buccal swabs from potential living relatives) was extracted using the Qiagen DNA extraction method. QuantifilerTM Human DNA Quantification Kit was used for DNA quantification. PowerPlex ESI kit was used to simultaneously amplify 15 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci, and PowerPlex Y23 was used to amplify 23 Y chromosomal STR loci. Matching probabilities were estimated using a standard statistical approach.ResultsA total of 10 samples were processed, 9 teeth and 1 femoral fragment. Nine of 10 samples were profiled using autosomal STR loci, which resulted in useful DNA profiles for 9 skeletal remains. A comparison of established victims' profiles against a reference sample database yielded 6 positive identifications.ConclusionDNA analysis may efficiently contribute to the identification of remains even seven decades after the end of the World War II. The significant percentage of positively identified remains (60%), even when the number of the examined possible living relatives was relatively small (only 12), proved the importance of cooperation with the members of the local community, who helped to identify the closest missing persons’ relatives and collect referent samples from them.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identification of human remains from the Second World War mass graves uncovered in Bosnia and Herzegovina

et al. 2015

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“…MiniSTR and single-nucleotide polymorphism typing have been developed to improve the success of DNA typing from highly degraded samples [15,16]. The combination of Y-chromosome (STR) and MiniSTR was adopted in the identification of skeletal remains of Communist Armed Forces victims during and after World War II [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The strategies to DVI challenges in Typhoon Morakot

Lin¹,

Huang

Shih

et al. 2010

Int J Legal Med

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Small village populations in which there is a high amount of kinship can cause complications in cases of disaster victim identification. This problem was highlighted by the loss of life after Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan where over 500 people from small isolated communities lost their lives. Most of the victims were buried by landslides in the remote mountainous areas of southern Taiwan. Only 146 pieces of human remains were recovered after searching for 4 months. Most of the human remains were received for examination as severely damaged fragments prevented possible identification by morphological features. DNA testing using the traditional duo parent/child or sibling screening by STR data opens the possibility of including not only the actual victim but also false positives. Variable likelihood ratios were obtained when comparing DNA types from human remains to those from potential relatives; however, with the DNA typing of numerous members of the same living family, multiple matches to potential families were avoided. Of the 146 samples obtained and collapsed to 130 victims, they were linked to 124 individuals resulting in their identification when compared to a pool of 588 potential relatives. Six of the human remains could not be linked to any living relative and remain unknown.

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“…88,89 DNA isolated from the teeth and bones of World War II victim's skeletal remains was used for identification through combined Y chromosome (STR) and MiniSTR approach. 90,91 Y STR is also been reported to be used in identification of human remains found in mass graves in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 92 …”

Section: Y-chromosome Analysismentioning

confidence: 96%

DNA Profiling and forensic dentistry – A review of the recent concepts and trends

Manjunath

Chandrashekar

Mahesh³

et al. 2011

Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine

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Identification of Skeletal Remains of Communist Armed Forces Victims During and After World War II: Combined Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat (STR) and MiniSTR Approach

Abstract: The results of this study, in combination with previously obtained results, demonstrate that Y-chromosome testing and mini-STR methodology can contribute to the identification of human remains of victims of revolutionary violence from World War II.

Cited by 36 publications

References 11 publications

Identification of human remains from the Second World War mass graves uncovered in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Identification of human remains from the Second World War mass graves uncovered in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The strategies to DVI challenges in Typhoon Morakot

DNA Profiling and forensic dentistry – A review of the recent concepts and trends

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