Population Data from STR Systems
To help the DNA typing community for comparing results between populations, a list of population data from various STR systems has been gathered by the Forensic/Human Identity Team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Due to the fact that DNA typing is only an examination of a DNA sample's sequence and/or length at discrete locations, a match in DNA typing is always a statistical exercise. (Currently, time and expense limit an examination of an individual's entire genome, which would show unique identity for all but identical twins.) In order to determine the probability that a particular genotype might occur at random in a population, population data must be gathered to make an estimate of the frequency of each possible allele and genotype. Usually a sample size of greater than 100 samples is sufficient to make reliable projections about a genotype's frequency in a larger population (see Chakraborty, R. (1992) Human Biology 64:141-159).
The data collected and presented on STRBase represent information from published sources (see STRBase Reference listing). The population sampled is listed by its reference number according to the commercial kit used to collect the data.
From the STRBase Web site, created by the Forensic/Human Identity Team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
