Use of Human Lice in Forensic Entomology

Abstract

Hematophagus arthropod bloodmeals may be useful in identifying individual hosts. To examine the application of human lice as a forensic tool, that is, as evidence of physical contact between individuals, body lice from a laboratory colony and head lice, collected from the head of infested children, were studied. The DNA profile of an individual was detectable in the pooled bloodmeals of two body lice, up to 20 h postfeeding. A mixed DNA profile of two hosts was identifiable in the pooled bloodmeals of three lice, for 3 h postfeeding. By pooling the bloodmeals of three adult and three nymphal head lice, a mixed DNA profile was obtained. These results indicate that, in criminal cases where there has been close contact between assailant and victim, louse bloodmeals should not be overlooked as potentially critical evidence.

Autosomal Short Tandem Repeats and anAluInsertion Polymorphism Are Detectable inCimex lectulariusL. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) for 48 Hours after Human Blood Ingestion1

“…collected 72 h after blood feeding (Figure 4). Previous studies have successfully detected DNA from a single human host in mosquitoes 15 h after blood ingestion (Coulson et al 1990) and from the pooled blood meals of two body lice up to 20 h after blood ingestion (Mumcuoglu et al 2004). Szalanski et al (2006b) identified a mtDNA marker 7 d post-blood feeding and a 271 bp STR marker 60 d post-blood feeding.…”

“…Human DNA has been extracted and identified from individual mosquitoes for up to fifteen hours after ingestion of a blood meal (Coulson et al 1990), and subsequent studies have confirmed the sensitivity and reproducibility of using DNA fingerprinting of mosquito blood meals to identify individual human hosts (Michael et al 2001). Experiments with the human crab louse, Pthirus pubis (L.) (Phthiraptera: Pthiridae), and human head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae), both obligate human ectoparasites, found that blood-fed lice and their excreta could yield DNA from (Replogle et al 1994, Lord et al 1998, Mumcuoglu et al 2004). Human-specific markers such as prostate-specific antigen from semen or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from decomposing tissues have been isolated from necrophagous fly larvae, the most common insects associated with homicide investigations (Clery 2001, Wells et al 2001, Linville et al 2004.…”

Insects feeding on cadavers as an alternative source of human genetic material

“…owady hematofagiczne (krwiopijne): komary [29,[33][34][35][36][37], wszy [28,[38][39][40] oraz pluskwy domowe [41]. Badania przeprowadzone na komarach przez Curic i wsp.…”

“…haematophagous (bloodfeeding) insects: mosquitoes [29,[33][34][35][36][37], lice [28,[38][39][40] and bed bugs [41]. Studies conducted on mosquitoes by Cu ric et al have established that it is possible to de termine the human profile of 15 STR loci for up to 88 hours after biting [42].…”

Role of Polymerase Chain Reaction in Forensic Entomology

“…The recovery of DNA provides useful information for forensic cases. For example, the identity of the suspect or the deceased could be identified from a fed mosquito, fly larvae or bed bugs [39][40][41][42][43]. The detection of insect gut content by PCR amplification is useful for forensic entomology.…”