ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Circulating fetal cells and cell free DNA in the maternal blood has been shown to help in prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders without relying on invasive procedures leading to significant risk of pregnancy loss. AIM: The current study was undertaken to detect the male fetal population using Y STR markers DYS 19, DYS 385 and DYS 392 and also to study the extent of persistence of fetal DNA in the mother following delivery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blinded study was conducted on 50 mothers delivering male and female babies. Cellular and cell free DNA was extracted from maternal and fetal cord blood and amplified for Y STR markers by PCR. RESULTS: The amplification sensitivity of Y specific STR, DYS19 was 100% (22/22) in the male fetal DNA samples. The incidence of other STRs, i.e., DYS385 and DYS392 were 91% (20/22) each. Analysis of results revealed that thirteen of the twenty six women had detectable male fetal DNA at the time of delivery. However fetal DNA was not detectable twenty four hours after delivery. CONCLUSION: Preliminary results show that the separation of fetal cell-free DNA in the maternal circulation is a good low-cost approach for the future development of novel strategies to provide non-invasive techniques for early prenatal diagnosis.