Consanguine marriages pose challenge in forensic DNA analysis: Study

Apart from disorders, such marriages significantly contribute to the prevalence of depression

- Gayatri Vajpeyee

PUNE: A recent study conducted by a scientist from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Pune, highlighted that consanguine marriages lead to hierarchical imbalance of ABO blood group and Short Tandem Repeat (STR) frequency and affect the genetic diversity among people. The study also underscored the challenges in forensic DNA analysis due to reduced genetic diversity.

The study titled "Consanguine Marriage leads to Hierarchical Imbalance of ABO and STR Frequency and affects the Genetic Diversity" has been published in the journal, Current Forensic Science on January 25. Consanguineous marriage is defined as a union between two individuals who are related as second cousins or closer, with an inbreeding coefficient (F) equal to or greater than 0.0156, according to genetic law. Consanguineous marriages have for long been a controversial subject, with significant attention focused on their adverse health outcomes. Such marriages are remarkably prevalent, with an estimated 10% of the global population having consanguineous parentage despite the considerable risk of genetic diseases among the offspring.

Apart from genetic disorders, consanguineous marriages significantly contribute to the prevalence of depression.