PATERNITY TESTING WITH OLIGONUCLEOTIDE MULTILOCUS PROBE (CAC)5 (GTG)5- A MULTICENTER STUDY/

The statistical analysis is reported of 256 paternity cases referred t o seven different German laboratories for multilocus DNA fingerprintin g with oligonucleotide probe (CAC)5/(GTG)5 and restriction enzyme Hinf I. All parameters characteristic of multilocus DNA fingerprints were f ound to differ significantly between the contributing centres: the num ber of analyzed gel positions, the number of bands scored per individu al, the probability of occurrence of a band at a particular position, and the band-sharing probabilities between the mother and both child a nd alleged father. Despite these differences, paternity eases could be divided clearly into two distinct subgroups on the basis of (i) offsp ring bands that could not be assigned to either the mother or the alle ged father and (ii) the extent of band-sharing between child and alleg ed father. This partitioning, which is likely to correspond to true an d false paternity, confirms previous findings for other multilocus pro bes. A goodness-of-fit test on the normalized number of bands scored p er individual revealed no systematic deviations from commonly adopted analytical models regarding electrophoretic bands as independent entit ies. Log10-likelihood ratios of paternity vs. non-paternity were calcu lated utilizing one of these models, and a clear-cut partitioning was again obtained which coincides with that mentioned before. Only one ca se could not be decided unambiguously, and was either due to two indep endent mutations or to a close relative of the alleged father being th e true father.