ABSTRACT
Until recently the selection of new genetic markers for use in cases of disputed parentage has depended upon methods which detected the by-products of the genetic code, namely HLA, red cell antigens, red cell enzymes, and serum proteins. These traditional techniques are well described by Bryant (1980). Recombinant DNA technology, however, has demonstrated a new set of highly variable genetic markers based upon DNA nucleotide sequence polymorphisms. The use of cloned DNA probes for detecting such polymorphisms has enabled geneticists to undertake extensive linkage mapping of the human genome. Although one of the main thrusts of such investigations is the identification of linkages to genetic diseases, it follows that these same polymorphisms have a variety of other applications. One such application is the individualization of human blood in cases of disputed parentage and blood stain analysis.
