What is the relationship between Forensic Medicine and Microbiology?

From the Guidelines

The relationship between Forensic Medicine and Microbiology is deeply intertwined, with microbiology playing a crucial role in forensic investigations, particularly in determining the cause of death and post-mortem interval, as evident from the 2019 study published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection 1.

Key Aspects of the Relationship

• Forensic microbiology is a term that encompasses a broader range of clinical and public health-related issues, including bioterrorism, food-borne pathogens, and rape cases, in addition to post-mortem microbiology (PMM) 1.
• PMM has been proven useful in identifying or ruling out an infectious cause of death, especially when aseptic measures are taken at autopsy and results are interpreted jointly by experienced microbiologists and autopsy pathologists [1, @4@, @6@].
• The thanatomicrobiome, or the microbes that proliferate after death, can provide crucial information about the post-mortem interval (PMI), making it a valuable tool in forensic investigations 1.
• Recent studies, such as the one published in 2019, highlight the importance of standardizing post-mortem microbiology protocols, including sampling techniques, to improve the yield of post-mortem sampling and detect infections 1.

Practical Applications

• The integration of microbiology in forensic medicine helps in developing more accurate methods for determining post-mortem intervals and understanding the cause of death, which is critical for directing judicial authority's investigations 1.
• Forensic microbiologists study specific bacterial succession patterns to help determine the time of death, while also considering the philosophical implications of these microbial communities in the context of life and death 1.
• The relationship between microbial activity and post-mortem changes provides both practical forensic tools and deeper insights into the continuum between life and death, making it valuable for both scientific investigation and philosophical inquiry into human mortality 1.

Evidence-Based Recommendations

• The use of standardized post-mortem microbiology protocols, as proposed by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Study Group for Forensic and Post-mortem Microbiology (ESGFOR), is recommended to improve the yield of post-mortem sampling and detect infections 1.
• Collaboration between microbiologists and autopsy pathologists is essential for the accurate interpretation of post-mortem microbiology results and for identifying or ruling out an infectious cause of death [1, @4@, @6@].

From the Research

Relationship Between Forensic Medicine and Microbiology

The relationship between forensic medicine and microbiology is deeply intertwined, with microbiology playing a crucial role in forensic investigations.

• Forensic microbiology is a relatively new discipline that has emerged due to the development of advanced methodologies for the detection, identification, and characterization of microorganisms 2.
• It has various applications, including the origin of iatrogenic infections, possible cases of infections not properly diagnosed and treated, and cases of violence or violent death, where the characterization of microorganisms can contribute to the reconstruction of the case 2.
• Microbial traces and their role in forensic science are significant, as they can be used to estimate the post-mortem interval, determine the cause or place of death, and provide evidence of guilt 3.
• Microbial forensics is a subfield of forensics that focuses on the characterization of evidence from bioterrorism acts, biocrimes, hoaxes, or inadvertent releases, and involves the analysis of microbial evidence for attributional purposes 4, 5, 6.

Applications of Microbial Forensics

• Microbial forensics has various applications, including human identification, body fluid characterization, postmortem interval estimation, and biocrimes involving tracking of infectious agents 5.
• It also involves the analysis of nucleic acids to associate or eliminate putative samples, and the use of genetic markers and features to impact statistical inferences of microbial forensic evidence 6.
• The tools for attribution in microbial forensics include genetic- and non-genetic-based assays and informatics, as well as chemical and physical assays to determine the process used to prepare, store, or disseminate the bioweapon 4.

Methods and Technologies

• Various methods and technologies are used in microbial forensics, including metagenome analysis, 16S rRNA gene amplicon-based sequencing for bacteria, and ITS rRNA gene amplicon-based sequencing for fungi 3.
• Nucleic acid-based typing technologies, such as PCR, real-time PCR, MLST, MLVA, whole genome sequencing, and microarrays, are also used in microbial forensics 6.
• Cultivation methods are still in use, but they require more time to achieve a final result, which is an unwanted feature in any criminal investigation 3.