The evolution of DNA databases--recommendations for new European STR loci.

Following a recent meeting by the ENFSI and EDNAP groups on the 4-5 April, 2005, in Glasgow, UK, it was unanimously agreed that the process of standardization within Europe should take account of recent work that unequivocally demonstrated that chance of obtaining a result from a degraded sample was increased when small amplicons (mini-STRs) were analysed. Consequently, it was recommended that existing multiplexes are re-engineered to enable small amplicon detection, and that three new mini-STR loci with alleles <130 bp (D10S1248, D14S1434 and D22S1045) are adopted as universal. This will increase the number of European standard Interpol loci from 7 to 10.