Dead man talking: sustained utility of data from archaic paternity tests

Area of Science:

• Forensic Genetics
• Anthropology
• Human Genetics

Background:

• Modern relationship analyses predominantly utilize DNA testing.
• However, historical blood group and protein polymorphism tests remain scientifically valid for establishing biological relationships.
• Old reports can be crucial when DNA is inaccessible, such as from deceased individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the utility of reconstructing relationship tests using historical blood group data.
• To show that older genetic testing methods can be applied to contemporary cases involving deceased individuals.
• To present a case study where historical blood test reports were used to assess alleged paternity.

Main Methods:

• A case was synthesized using two historical paternity test reports (16 and 18 years old) from an AABB-accredited laboratory.
• These reports utilized blood groups and protein polymorphisms to analyze alleged father (AF) and mother-child genetic profiles.
• Phenotypes from nine loci were compared between the AF and the mother-child pair from the old reports.

Main Results:

• Genetic inconsistencies were identified between the alleged father and the mother-child pair across nine loci.
• Three direct and one indirect genetic inconsistencies were found, indicating non-paternity.
• The historical data successfully provided crucial genetic information without requiring new sample collection.

Conclusions:

• Relationship tests can be reconstructed from historical phenotype data, predating the widespread use of molecular DNA testing.
• This retrospective analysis method is valuable for cases involving deceased individuals or inaccessible biological samples.
• Utilizing old blood test reports offers a non-invasive alternative to exhumation and other complex specimen retrieval techniques.