ABSTRACT
Each individual may be identified by characterizing its genetic material by DNA fingerprinting technology. Its application in Mexico demands a knowledge of the allelic and genotypic diversity of the DNA markers and the probability that two individuals may have the same fingerprint. In the present study the allelic and genotypic diversities of the loci D12S11 (MS43A), D7S22 (g3) and D1S7 (MS1) were determined in 100 Mexican students of the military school of medicine (Escuela Médico Militar de México). The mean allelic frequency of the loci MS43A, g3, and MS1 was 0.01, 0.008 and 0.006, respectively. The heterozygosity of MS43A and g3 was 98 and 99% for MS1. The probability that two individuals might have the same genetic pattern was 2.0 x 10(-4), 1.3 x 10(-4) and 7.2 x 10(-5) for the loci MS43A, g3 and MS1, respectively, and as low as 1.9 x 10(-12) for the three taken together. These data indicate that the genetic diversity of these DNA fingerprinting markers in the Mexican population is high enough to warrant its use in paternity testing and in the identification of individuals in forensic medicine.