G. Penacino1, A. Sala1, A. Sotelo2 and D. Corach1
1Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas, Fac. De Farmacia y
Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2Cuerpo Médico Forense de la Justicia Nacional, Bueno Aires, Argentina
Fragmentary human remains are a common by product of mass disasters. Conventional identification by means of dactiloscopy, dental records, radiological and physionomical comparison may contribute with the identification process. However, this goal can not be achieved for all remains found, instead, fragmentary remains identification will require DNA-based identification approaches. Sample handling and typing procedures should be optimized in order to maximize efficiency in terms of remains preservation, data obtention and rapidity in reporting results.
Our lab was required by Argentine authorities to contribute with the characterization of human remains emergent from two mass disasters that occurred in Buenos Aires. In 1992 the Israeli Embassy and in 1994 a Jewish Association (AMIA) were bombed. The first attack resulted in over twenty fatal victims, and the second in more than eighty.
Optimization of DNA typing approaches and working strategies sped up data acquisition and results evaluation. In both cases, either nuclear or mitochondrial polymorphic markers were used. Higher efficiency was attained in the second case due in part to the rapid recovery and adequate conservation of sample and in multiplex STR typing confirmed by four minisatellite analyses, supplemented by mtDNA sequencing and MVR typing.
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