Forensic parasitology: a new frontier in criminalistics

Abstract

Parasites are ubiquitous, diverse, and have close interactions with humans and other animals. Despite this, they have not garnered significant interest from forensic scientists, and their utility as indicators in criminal investigations has been largely overlooked. To foster the development of forensic parasitology we explore the utility of parasites as forensic indicators in five broad areas: 1) wildlife trafficking and exploitation, 2) biological attacks, 3) sex crimes, 4) criminal neglect of humans and other animals, and 5) indicators of movement and travel. To encourage the development and growth of forensic parasitology as a field, we lay out a four-step roadmap to increase the use and utility of parasites in criminal investigations.