An mtDNA report is similar to an STR report. One exception is the format of data presentation if a laboratory chooses to report the DNA sequence data in a tabular form. An mtDNA data table shows the nucleotides in the analyzed samples that are different from those of a published standard mtDNA reference sequence (termed the Anderson sequence or Cambridge Reference Sequence [CRS]). All other nucleotides, of the 700 or so that are analyzed, match the CRS and are not shown in the table. The CRS provides both a benchmark and a shorthand method for comparing multiple samples in a case.

For more information on laboratory reports, see Module 6.

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