Page 158 - VERITAS Vol.2 Issue 2

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a molecule that can only be found

in nucleated cells and codes for a protein called a gene and is located

on each segment of a chromosome. The human genome contains poly-

morphism in which the position of nucleotide sequences are different.

It uses polymorphisms called short tandem repeats (STRs), which are

regions of non-coding DNA that contain repeats of the same nucleotide
sequence present at different genetic loci, for identification.

In this study, Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College and

Sassoon General Hospital, Pune used DNA identification by polymerase

chain reaction (PCR) technique involving STR analysis to identify 17

charred burnt bodies from a tragic fire incident that occurred in a sani-

tizer manufacturing factory.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The autopsy included all 17 of the charred and completely burned bod-

ies, it was difficult to identify them using secondary identification tech-

niques as the bodies were deformed.

The complete autopsy was performed by labelling the bodies with se-

rial numbers. The following bones were preserved and sent to regional
forensic science laboratory:

• Piece of sternum - 09 cases

• Part of humerus bone - 02 cases

• Part of femur bone - 04 cases

• Part of tibia - 01 cases

• Part of fibula - 02 cases

• Teeth - 08 cases

Blood samples of next of kin were drawn for comparative DNA analy-

sis. They were typed by PCR at 15 STR loci and one amelogenin locus

distinct to each gender.

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Veritas Volume: 2, Issue: 2