ABSTRACT
Autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) testing has been the cornerstone of forensic identity testing since the early 1990s, when the rst uorescently labeled STR markers were described. Since then, thousands of polymorphic STR markers have been characterized, and today combinations of autosomal markers allow the identication of individuals to the degree of one in trillions. In missing persons and deciency paternity cases, Y chromosomal STRs expand the pool of family reference samples that can be used to conrm identity, and have proven useful in situations where the male portion of a mixture is of interest, oen in the presence of large excesses of female DNA, as would be the case with a vaginal swab from a sexual assault.
