[Difficult species identification of cranial fragments--case report].
BACKGROUND
An examination of remains found on the roadside in a locality near Łódź, Poland showed them to be cranial bones. Their general appearance, and particularly the significant curvature of the vault and dimensions indicating a relatively large skull capacity showed that they could be human remains. But against that notion spoke anatomical details such as the size of the frontal sinuses, the situation of probable zygomatic appendices of the frontal bone, the texture of the interior surface, atypical in human beings, and the progression and morphology of the cranial sutures. However, a comparative analysis of animal skulls did not result in any positive conclusion. The skull fragment was judged to have a significantly different morphology, possibly the effect of developmental abnormalities or disease processes.


METHODS
To resolve the uncertainty, genotyping was carried out in human-specific STR sequences, and then in STR sequences using starter sequences specific for dogs, cattle, sheep, domesticated and wild swine. But to determine decisively the species of the remains, mitochondrial DNA analysis was performed using universal starters for the PCR--a conservative, species-specific region of the mitochondrial genome was analysed.
Barzdo
Maciej
M
Zakład Medycyny Sadowej, Katedry Medycyny Sadowej Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Łodzi, ul. Sedziowska 18a, 91-304 Łódź.
Prośniak
Adam
A
Lorkiewicz
Wiesław
W
Słota
Ewa
E
Prusak
Beata
B
Berent
Jarosław
J
D000818:Animals; D056667:Biometric Identification / Q000379:methods*; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018732:Forensic Anthropology / Q000379:methods; D006736:Horses / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D011044:Poland; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013045:Species Specificity
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial