Concordance testing comparing STR multiplex kits with a standard data set

Abstract

Multiple concordance studies have been performed at NIST with a standard sample set (≈1450 U.S. population samples) using various STR multiplex kits from Applied Biosystems, Promega Corporation, and Qiagen, including many of the new generation European kits. Out of 948,301 allele comparisons, differences were observed 1109 times resulting in a concordance rate of 99.88%. These differences were reported to the collaborating commercial vendors, which in many cases lead to revised kits and a reduction in null alleles through the addition of degenerate primers or primer redesign.