Mass disasters: rapid molecular screening of human remains by means of short tandem repeats typing

Human remains identification represents a challenging situation and constitutes a difficult task associated with mass disasters. The only highly efficient means for individual and family group reconstruction is that based on DNA typing. On July 18, 1994 an explosion destroyed the A.M.I.A. (Argentine Israeli Association). Over 100 people died; however, the exact number of victims is still being investigated. Our Service received over 70 remains to be characterized by DNA typing in order to determine the number of victims and to try to reconstruct the family groups to which they belonged. DNA was extracted by a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) based protocol, a rapid molecular screening of all samples was carried out by multiplex STR amplifications including HUMTH01, HUMFABP, HUMHPRTB, HUMRENA4, HUMVWA, HUMFES/FPS and Y27H39LR. Samples with identical genotypes were HaeIII-digested. Southern blotted and probed with YNH-24 (D2S44). PH-30 (D4S139). LH-1 (D5S110) and MS-1 (D1S7) for variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) evaluation. The minisatellite variant repeat (MVR) approach was used in those cases in which band or profile shift were detected in Southern blot assays. Kinship between victims and putative relatives was initially evaluated by comparison of short tandem repeat (STR) profiles and then confirmed by VNTR with the above probes. The high identification efficiency attained in this case is, in part, supported by a previous experience, the DNA-based molecular characterization of human remains caused by the explosion of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, March 1992.