Abstract We report an unusual case of paternity testing
from residues of chorionic villi 5 weeks after pregnancy
termination. The autopsy of a 32-year-old female homi-cide
victim revealed the presence of intact chorionic villi
at the former placenta implantation site. Fetal cells were
selectively isolated by laser-induced microdissection of
the remaining villi to avoid contamination with maternal
DNA. Simultaneous amplification of 12 STR loci in 2 PCR
reactions resulted in a combined probability of paternity
of 99.94%. This case demonstrates that laser-assisted mi-crodissection
and multiplex STR typing provide tools for
paternity testing performed on endometrial mucosa long
after the product of conception was removed by therapeu-tic
abortion.