Postmortem bacterial translocation

Mesli, Vadim; Neut, Christel; Hédouin, V.

doi:10.1002/9781119062585.ch8

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…The effects of the decomposer microbial community may be further influenced by the location of the bones. The position of the iliac crest in the trunk of the body exposes this bone to the moisture and a large gastrointestinal microbial community of the gut, which is known to translocate during decomposition. , The iliac crest, therefore, is located in a microhabitat that is more favorable for microbial decomposition. In contrast, the tibia is located further from the trunk in limbs that are more prone to desiccation during decomposition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Bone Proteomes before and after Decomposition: Investigating the Effects of Biological Variation and Taphonomic Alteration on Bone Protein Profiles and the Implications for Forensic Proteomics

et al. 2021

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Bone proteomic studies using animal proxies and skeletonized human remains have delivered encouraging results in the search for potential biomarkers for precise and accurate postmortem interval (PMI) and the age-at-death (AAD) estimation in medico-legal investigations. The development of forensic proteomics for PMI and AAD estimation is in critical need of research on human remains throughout decomposition, as currently the effects of both inter-individual biological differences and taphonomic alteration on the survival of human bone protein profiles are unclear. This study investigated the human bone proteome in four human body donors studied throughout decomposition outdoors. The effects of ageing phenomena (in vivo and post-mortem) and intrinsic and extrinsic variables on the variety and abundancy of the bone proteome were assessed. Results indicate that taphonomic and biological variables play a significant role in the survival of proteins in bone. Our findings suggest that inter-individual and inter-skeletal differences in bone mineral density (BMD) are important variables affecting the survival of proteins. Specific proteins survive better within the mineral matrix due to their mineralbinding properties. The mineral matrix likely also protects these proteins by restricting the movement of decomposer microbes. New potential biomarkers for PMI estimation and AAD estimation were identified. Future development of forensic bone proteomics should include standard measurement of BMD and target a combination of different biomarkers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Bone Proteomes before and after Decomposition: Investigating the Effects of Biological Variation and Taphonomic Alteration on Bone Protein Profiles and the Implications for Forensic Proteomics

et al. 2021

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“…Microbiology is also of interest to forensic taphonomy because the detection of pathogenic microorganisms can be confounded by the proliferation of decomposer microorganisms, a process known as postmortem bacterial translocation . Translocation is a process whereby microbes, many of which are commensals during life, move from the gastrointestinal tract to other regions of the remains . These microbes contribute significantly to decomposition (e.g., putrefaction) and can release volatile organic compounds that attract insects and scavengers .…”

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confidence: 99%

An Experiment to Characterize the Decomposer Community Associated with Carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus) on Oahu, Hawaii

Dibner

Valdez

Carter

2019

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) carcasses were decomposed on the soil surface of a terrestrial habitat on the island of Oahu, Hawaii to begin characterizing the decomposer community. Results showed that carcasses can decompose rapidly on Oahu, primarily due to the activity of fly larvae, with ~80% of mass lost by 8 days (~220 ADD) postmortem. Scavenging was conducted exclusively by the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus), first feeding on larvae then feeding on the remains. Carcasses were habitats of warm temperature, little to no oxygen, slightly acidic/neutral pH, and high sodium concentration. Larval masses selected for a microbial community comprised of multiple bacterial taxa from phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, particularly genera Clostridium, Proteus, and Providencia. These larval masses were well established from 3 to 8 days (~90 to ~220 ADD) postmortem. These data provide helpful, novel insight into the structure and activity of carcass decomposer communities on Oahu.

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“…Apparent false-positive PM microbiology results can arise due to the natural putrefaction process of the body or contamination during sample collection at autopsy (Morris et al, 2006;Riedel, 2014;Mesli et al, 2017). When positive cultures arise from visceral tissues that are believed to be sterile in life, it is often difficult to determine the relevance of such results, certainly without histological evidence of infection (Goldwater, 2009;Bryant and Sebire, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When positive cultures arise from visceral tissues that are believed to be sterile in life, it is often difficult to determine the relevance of such results, certainly without histological evidence of infection (Goldwater, 2009;Bryant and Sebire, 2018). PM bacterial translocation is defined as the migration of viable bacteria from highly colonised bodily sites, such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, to extra-intestinal tissues following death (Mesli et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a current lack of understanding of the PM bacterial translocation process in a clinical setting where bodies are refrigerated between death and autopsy (Morris et al, 2006;Weber et al, 2010;Palmiere et al, 2016;Mesli et al, 2017). This lack of knowledge presents a greater problem when interpreting PM microbiological results during clinical autopsy and poses the question, 'is a positive result due to natural decomposition and translocation of bacterial flora or a sign of fulminant ante-mortem infection?'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characterising Post-mortem Bacterial Translocation Under Clinical Conditions Using 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing in Two Animal Models

et al. 2021

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Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) is the sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant occurring within the first year of life where the cause is not immediately obvious. It is believed that a proportion of unexplained infant deaths are due to an infection that remains undiagnosed. The interpretation of post-mortem microbiology results is difficult due to the potential false-positives, a source of which is post-mortem bacterial translocation. Post-mortem bacterial translocation is the spread of viable bacteria from highly colonised sites to extra-intestinal tissues. We hypothesise that although post-mortem bacterial translocation occurs, when carcasses are kept under controlled routine clinical conditions it is not extensive and can be defined using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. With this knowledge, implementation of the 16S rRNA gene sequencing technique into routine clinical diagnostics would allow a more reliable retrospective diagnosis of ante-mortem infection. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish the extent of post-mortem bacterial translocation in two animal models to establish a baseline sequencing signal for the post-mortem process. To do this we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing in two animal models over a 2 week period to investigate (1) the bacterial community succession in regions of high bacterial colonisation, and (2) the bacterial presence in visceral tissues routinely sampled during autopsy for microbiological investigation. We found no evidence for significant and consistent post-mortem bacterial translocation in the mouse model. Although bacteria were detected in tissues in the piglet model, we did not find significant and consistent evidence for post-mortem bacterial translocation from the gastrointestinal tract or nasal cavity. These data do not support the concept of significant post-mortem translocation as part of the normal post-mortem process.

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Postmortem bacterial translocation

Cited by 12 publications

References 72 publications

Human Bone Proteomes before and after Decomposition: Investigating the Effects of Biological Variation and Taphonomic Alteration on Bone Protein Profiles and the Implications for Forensic Proteomics

Human Bone Proteomes before and after Decomposition: Investigating the Effects of Biological Variation and Taphonomic Alteration on Bone Protein Profiles and the Implications for Forensic Proteomics

An Experiment to Characterize the Decomposer Community Associated with Carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus) on Oahu, Hawaii

Characterising Post-mortem Bacterial Translocation Under Clinical Conditions Using 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing in Two Animal Models

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