Forensic parameters of 15 autosomal STRs (Identifiler™ kit) in three Mayan groups and one Mestizo population from Guatemala.

The population of Guatemala includes Mestizos (admixed) and different Mayan groups (Native Americans), which have been poorly studied in regards to short tandem repeat (STR) loci used for human identification (HID) purposes. Therefore, 483 unrelated Guatemalan volunteers from one Mestizo and three Mayan populations (Poqomchi, Ixil, and Achi) were analyzed with an AmpFlSTR Identifiler™ kit. Allele frequencies and forensic parameters were obtained for 15 autosomal STRs in these populations. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by locus and equilibrium linkage between pair of loci were demonstrated by exact tests in all the studied populations. Larger genetic differentiation probably due to genetic drift effects was observed among the studied Guatemalan Mayan groups than the neighboring Mexican Mayas. In brief, our results validate to use the Identifiler™ kit for HID in three non-previously studied Mayan groups, and one Mestizo population from Guatemala.