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Recommendations for animal DNA forensic and identity testing

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Abstract

Genetic analysis in animals has been used for many applications, such as kinship analysis, for determining the sire of an offspring when a female has been exposed to multiple males, determining parentage when an animal switches offspring with another dam, extended lineage reconstruction, estimating inbreeding, identification in breed registries, and speciation. It now also is being used increasingly to characterize animal materials in forensic cases. As such, it is important to operate under a set of minimum guidelines that assures that all service providers have a template to follow for quality practices. None have been delineated for animal genetic identity testing. Based on the model for human DNA forensic analyses, a basic discussion of the issues and guidelines is provided for animal testing to include analytical practices, data evaluation, nomenclature, allele designation, statistics, validation, proficiency testing, lineage markers, casework files, and reporting. These should provide a basis for professional societies and/or working groups to establish more formalized recommendations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the International Society for Animal Genetics and the Japan Organizing Committee of the 9th International Conference on Animal Genetics held in Tokyo, Japan, on 12–16 September 2004, for providing a workshop forum for the discussions that led to the drafting of these guidelines. Presentations made at the Animal Forensics Workshop in Tokyo can be viewed at http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/forensics/ISAG/index.html.

This is publication number 05-04 of the Laboratory Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Names of commercial manufacturers are provided for identification only, and inclusion does not imply endorsement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. FBI Laboratory, 2501 Investigation Parkway, Quantico, VA, 22135, USA

    Bruce Budowle

  2. Forensic Genetics Division, UNIRELAB s.r.l., Milan, 20019, Italy

    Paolo Garofano

  3. Bundeskriminalamt Kriminaltechnisches Institut, KT32, 65173, Wiesbaden, Germany

    Andreas Hellman

  4. DNA Diagnostics dba Shelterwood Laboratories, Timpson, TX, 75975, USA

    Melba Ketchum

  5. Veterinary Genetics Laboratory-Forensics, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Sree Kanthaswamy

  6. Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Walther Parson

  7. Dr. Van Haeringen Laboratorium BV, 6708, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Wim van Haeringen

  8. National Forensics Laboratory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland, OR, 97520, USA

    Steve Fain

  9. Australian Equine Genetics Research Centre, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Tom Broad

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  1. Bruce Budowle
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  2. Paolo Garofano
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  3. Andreas Hellman
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  9. Tom Broad
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Correspondence to Bruce Budowle.

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Budowle, B., Garofano, P., Hellman, A. et al. Recommendations for animal DNA forensic and identity testing. Int J Legal Med 119, 295–302 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-005-0545-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-005-0545-9

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