title: The importance of Guthrie cards and other medical samples for the direct matching of disaster victims using DNA profiling.
abstract: The identification of disaster victims through the use of DNA analysis is an integral part of any Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) response, regardless of the scale and nature of the disaster. As part of the DVI response to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Disaster, DNA analysis was performed to assist in the identification of victims through kinship (familial matching to relatives) or direct (self source sample) matching of DNA profiles. Although most of the DNA identifications achieved were to reference samples from relatives, there were a number of DNA identifications (12) made through direct matching. Guthrie cards, which have been collected in Australia over the past 30 years, were used to provide direct reference samples. Of the 236 ante-mortem (AM) samples received, 21 were Guthrie cards and one was a biopsy specimen; all yielding complete DNA profiles when genotyped. This publication describes the use of such Biobanks and medical specimens as a sample source for the recovery of good quality DNA for comparisons to post-mortem (PM) samples.
authors.affiliation: Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, 57-83 Kavanagh St., Southbank, VIC 3006, Australia. dadnah@vifm.org
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hartman
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benton
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morenos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beyer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spiden
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stock
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D001706:Biopsy; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D004190:Disasters; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D010375:Pedigree; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004247:DNA