Population genetic data for 17 non-CODIS STR loci for the Saudi Arabian population using the SureID®23comp Human Identification Kit

Abstract

Our previous work focused on validation the SureID 23comp Human Identification Kit (Health Gene Technologies, China), following the minimum criteria for validation recommended by the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) and the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) using 500 samples from the population of Saudi Arabia. The kit genotypes 22 STRs, 17 of which are non-CODIS, and Amelogenin. The validation tests showed that it has the potential to increase the level of confidence in conclusions in complex cases especially in a country like Saudi Arabia where consanguineous marriage is more common. Previous studies on the population of Saudi Arabia, either by questionnaires or by genetic testing using 21 STRs included in the GlobalFiler kit, suggested an elevated rate of consanguinity in the population of Saudi Arabia.
In this paper, the allele frequency data, common forensic parameters for the 17 non-CODIS STR loci are presented. We examined whether the loci would exhibit excess of homozygosity in the data set.