[Paternity test by DNA fingerprinting in a sexual assault]

We have applied the method of DNA fingerprinting to resolve a paternity case. DNA samples were extracted from the blood of mother, child (4 months old fetus) and alleged father, digested with the restriction endonuclease Hinf I and Hae III, size separated by agarose gel electrophoresis, and hybridized with the multi-locus minisatellite probe B.E.S.T.-MZ1.3 digoxigenin. DNA fingerprinting patterns in the child and alleged father indicated possibly paternity. Following extraction of DNA from cord blood (infant of 26 to 39 week's gestation), the quantity of DNA isolated was determined on a spectrophotometer at 260 nm and its integrity by electrophoresis in agarose gels. We found that high-molecular-weight DNA could be recovered in large quantities from cord blood as well as from adult blood.