Usefulness of Microbiome for Forensic Geolocation: A Review

Haarkötter, Christian; Saiz, María; Gálvez, Xiomara; Medina-Lozano, María Isabel; Álvarez, Juan Carlos; Lorente, José A.

doi:10.3390/life11121322

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Various studies have shown that the bacterial species present in deceased individuals (such as Helicobacter pylori) or adult hair matrices in different cities can be used to predict an individual's geolocation, due to climate, rainfall, altitude, soil and energy sources in the environment [176].…”

Section: Violence Violent Death and Forensic Microbiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic Microbiology: When, Where and How

Nodari,

Arghittu,

Bailo

et al. 2024

Microorganisms

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Forensic microbiology is a relatively new discipline, born in part thanks to the development of advanced methodologies for the detection, identification and characterization of microorganisms, and also in relation to the growing impact of infectious diseases of iatrogenic origin. Indeed, the increased application of medical practices, such as transplants, which require immunosuppressive treatments, and the growing demand for prosthetic installations, associated with an increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance, have led to a rise in the number of infections of iatrogenic origin, which entails important medico-legal issues. On the other hand, the possibility of detecting minimal amounts of microorganisms, even in the form of residual traces (e.g., their nucleic acids), and of obtaining gene and genomic sequences at contained costs, has made it possible to ask new questions of whether cases of death or illness might have a microbiological origin, with the possibility of also tracing the origin of the microorganisms involved and reconstructing the chain of contagion. In addition to the more obvious applications, such as those mentioned above related to the origin of iatrogenic infections, or to possible cases of infections not properly diagnosed and treated, a less obvious application of forensic microbiology concerns its use in cases of violence or violent death, where the characterization of the microorganisms can contribute to the reconstruction of the case. Finally, paleomicrobiology, e.g., the reconstruction and characterization of microorganisms in historical or even archaeological remnants, can be considered as a sister discipline of forensic microbiology. In this article, we will review these different aspects and applications of forensic microbiology.

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Section: Violence Violent Death and Forensic Microbiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic Microbiology: When, Where and How

Nodari,

Arghittu,

Bailo

et al. 2024

Microorganisms

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“…Some studies have also revealed variation in the human microbial ecology of different populations around the world, highlighting the potential for detecting microbial signatures that are specific to geographical regions (Brinkac et al, 2018;Cho & Eom, 2021;Grantham et al, 2019;Haarkötter et al, 2021;Lax et al, 2015). This requires the creation of a robust and reliable international microbiome database containing an adequate sample size and associated metadata (e.g., geographic origin, ethnic group) for geolocation purposes, such as the Forensic Microbiome Database which currently contains microbiomes from 35 countries (139 cities; Singh et al, 2021).…”

Section: Forensic Microbiomicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An interdisciplinary forensic approach for human remains identification and missing persons investigations

Dahal

McNevin

Chikhani

et al. 2023

WIREs Forensic Science

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The resolution of unidentified human remains (UHR) and long‐term missing persons (LTMP) cases is paramount for administrative, legal, and humanitarian reasons. There are various forensic profiling methods for human identification; however, their utility is dependent on several factors. First, UHR can be found in different stages of decomposition, so the availability and diversity of post‐mortem (PM) information will differ. Second, the availability and totality of the LTMP's ante‐mortem (AM) information will differ. Therefore, the suitability of existing methods will be dependent on the quality and quantity of PM and/or AM data available for comparison. Visual recognition is the simplest and quickest method, but typically not practiced or possible, owing to the altered, fragmented, or skeletonized state of UHR. Primary forensic profiling methods involve the comparison of fingerprint, dental, DNA, and medical data. Secondary forensic profiling methods from anthropology, radiology, geochemistry, and anatomy disciplines can provide supplementary evidence to support comparative identification approaches. Emerging forensic molecular technologies such as genomics, microbiomics, epigenetics, and proteomics, together with individual digital footprints from personal devices, offer new investigative leads for establishing identity. However, despite the success of these individual methods, their limitations must be considered when used in isolation. Through the development of a guiding forensic examination framework, this review endorses an interdisciplinary response to unidentified and missing persons investigations, where various forensic specialists collaboratively examine UHR using a suite of contemporary forensic profiling methods to produce multiple and/or different lines of evidence to link them effectively, efficiently, comprehensively, and systematically to LTMP. This article is categorized under: Forensic Science in Action/Crime Scene Investigation > Special Situations and Investigations Forensic Biology > DNA Testing in Disaster Victim and Missing Persons Identification Forensic Medicine > Medicolegal Death Investigation Systems Jurisprudence and Regulatory Oversight > Interdisciplinary Collaboration

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“…In this context, the Earth Microbiome Project was created in 2010 (https://earthmicrobiome.org/; last accessed on 30 June 2023) to sample the whole planet's microbial communities and, thus, to assess biogeographic variations of microbial communities. Each city shows unique microbial profiles contributing with high accuracy to the geographical identification of the place of death or surrounding areas [105]. Available studies exploring the use of microbial profiles for geolocation showed, among other promising data, clear differences in the most common species in people from different cities in different countries.…”

Section: Geolocationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Future Is Now: Unraveling the Expanding Potential of Human (Necro)Microbiome in Forensic Investigations

Cláudia-Ferreira,

Barbosa,

Saegeman

et al. 2023

Microorganisms

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The relevance of postmortem microbiological examinations has been controversial for decades, but the boom in advanced sequencing techniques over the last decade is increasingly demonstrating their usefulness, namely for the estimation of the postmortem interval. This comprehensive review aims to present the current knowledge about the human postmortem microbiome (the necrobiome), highlighting the main factors influencing this complex process and discussing the principal applications in the field of forensic sciences. Several limitations still hindering the implementation of forensic microbiology, such as small-scale studies, the lack of a universal/harmonized workflow for DNA extraction and sequencing technology, variability in the human microbiome, and limited access to human cadavers, are discussed. Future research in the field should focus on identifying stable biomarkers within the dominant Bacillota and Pseudomonadota phyla, which are prevalent during postmortem periods and for which standardization, method consolidation, and establishment of a forensic microbial bank are crucial for consistency and comparability. Given the complexity of identifying unique postmortem microbial signatures for robust databases, a promising future approach may involve deepening our understanding of specific bacterial species/strains that can serve as reliable postmortem interval indicators during the process of body decomposition. Microorganisms might have the potential to complement routine forensic tests in judicial processes, requiring robust investigations and machine-learning models to bridge knowledge gaps and adhere to Locard’s principle of trace evidence.

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Usefulness of Microbiome for Forensic Geolocation: A Review

Cited by 9 publications

References 58 publications

Forensic Microbiology: When, Where and How

Forensic Microbiology: When, Where and How

An interdisciplinary forensic approach for human remains identification and missing persons investigations

The Future Is Now: Unraveling the Expanding Potential of Human (Necro)Microbiome in Forensic Investigations

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