title: ISFG: Recommendations on biostatistics in paternity testing.
abstract: The Paternity Testing Commission (PTC) of the International Society for Forensic Genetics has taken up the task of establishing the biostatistical recommendations in accordance with the ISO 17025 standards and a previous set of ISFG recommendations specific to the genetic investigations in paternity cases. In the initial set, the PTC recommended that biostatistical evaluations of paternity are based on a likelihood ratio principle - yielding the paternity index, PI. Here, we have made five supplementary biostatistical recommendations. The first recommendation clarifies and defines basic concepts of genetic hypotheses and calculation concerns needed to produce valid PIs. The second and third recommendations address issues associated with population genetics (allele probabilities, Y-chromosome markers, mtDNA, and population substructuring) and special circumstances (deficiency/reconstruction and immigration cases), respectively. The fourth recommendation considers strategies regarding genetic evidence against paternity. The fifth recommendation covers necessary documentation, reporting details and assumptions underlying calculations. The PTC strongly suggests that these recommendations should be adopted by all laboratories involved in paternity testing as the basis for their biostatistical analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, UCLA School of Public Health, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Gjertson
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Max P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Baur
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carracedo
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guidet
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Luque
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lessig
authors.forename: Wolfgang R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Mayr
authors.forename: Vince L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Pascali
authors.forename: Mechthild
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prinz
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morling
mesh_terms: D001699:Biometry; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D053803:Forensic Genetics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D010334:Paternity; D011247:Pregnancy; D012958:Societies, Scientific
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D005819:Genetic Markers