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Vanin S, Tuccia F, Pradelli J, Carta G, Giordani G. Identification of Diptera Puparia in Forensic and Archeo-Funerary Contexts. INSECTS 2024; 15:599. [PMID: 39194804 DOI: 10.3390/insects15080599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Revised: 07/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Diptera identification is fundamental in forensic entomology as well as in funerary archeoentomology, where the challenge is exacerbated by the presence of immature stages such as larvae and puparia. In these two developmental stages, specimens possess a very limited number of diagnostic features, and for puparia, there is also a lack of identification tools such as descriptions and identification keys. Morphological analysis, DNA-based techniques, and cuticular chemical analyses all show good potential for species identification; however, they also have some limitations. DNA-based identification is primarily hindered by the incompleteness of genetic databases and the presence of PCR inhibitors often co-extracted from the puparial cuticle. Chemical analysis of the cuticle is showing promising results, but this approach is also limited by the insufficient profile database and requires specific, expensive equipment, as well as trained personnel. Additionally, to ensure the repeatability of the analysis-a critical aspect in forensic investigations-and to preserve precious and unique specimens from museum collections, non-invasive protocols and techniques must be prioritized for species identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Vanin
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
- National Research Council, Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), 16149 Genova, Italy
| | - Fabiola Tuccia
- School of applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Jennifer Pradelli
- School of applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Giuseppina Carta
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
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Deymenci E, Sarı O I, Filoglu G, Polat E, Bulbul O. Eye and hair color prediction of human DNA recovered from Lucilia sericata larvae. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:627-637. [PMID: 37934208 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03112-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Forensic entomological evidence is employed to estimate minimum postmortem interval (PMImin), location, and identification of fly samples or human remains. Traditional forensic DNA analysis (i.e., STR, mitochondrial DNA) has been used for human identification from the larval gut contents. Forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP), predicting human appearance from DNA-based crime scene evidence, has become an established approach in forensic genetics in the past years. In this study, we aimed to recover human DNA from Lucilia sericata (Meigen 1826) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) gut contents and predict the eye and hair color of individuals using the HIrisPlex system. Lucilia sericata larvae and reference blood samples were collected from 30 human volunteers who were under maggot debridement therapy. The human DNA was extracted from the crop contents and quantified. HIrisPlex multiplex analysis was performed using the SNaPshot minisequencing procedure. The HIrisPlex online tool was used to assess the prediction of the eye and hair color of the larval and reference samples. We successfully genotyped 25 out of 30 larval samples, and the most SNP genotypes (87.13%) matched those of reference samples, though some alleles were dropped out, producing partial profiles. The prediction of the eye colors was accurate in 17 out of 25 larval samples, and only one sample was misclassified. Fourteen out of 25 larval samples were correctly predicted for hair color, and eight were misclassified. This study shows that SNP analysis of L. sericata gut contents can be used to predict eye and hair color of a corpse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emre Deymenci
- Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Adli Tıp ve Adli Bilimler Enstitüsü, Büyükçekmece Yerleşkesi, 34500 Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ilksen Sarı O
- Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Vocational School of Health Services, Istanbul Gelisim University, 34310, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gonul Filoglu
- Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Adli Tıp ve Adli Bilimler Enstitüsü, Büyükçekmece Yerleşkesi, 34500 Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Erdal Polat
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ozlem Bulbul
- Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Adli Tıp ve Adli Bilimler Enstitüsü, Büyükçekmece Yerleşkesi, 34500 Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Toni ASB, Serrão JE, Fialho VS. A beetle for prosecution: exogenous DNA detection from larval and adult gut of a Neotropical carrion beetle. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2023; 19:184-191. [PMID: 37243839 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-023-00658-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The use of recovered DNA ingested by necrophagous or hematophagous insects has increased in forensic sciences, mainly with representatives of flies. However, some beetles are also important for medico-legal forensic entomology because they feed on carcasses until advanced decomposition. This study evaluated whether the Neotropical carrion beetle Oxelytrum discicolle (Silphidae) has the potential for the detection of exogenous DNA into the gut. The whole gut or the gut contents were extracted from O. discicolle larvae and adult previously fed on pig carcass. The pig DNA recovery rate was 33.3% in larvae and 25% in adults, indicating that the carrion beetle's gut may be useful for DNA identification of ingested food. Samples with the whole gut or only gut contents showed the same DNA recovery rate. Exogenous DNA from the whole gut was recovered from samples stored in ethanol at -20 ºC for 11 days, showing that samples of O. discicolle can be stored in the forensic laboratory without loss in DNA recovery rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Santana Batista Toni
- Graduate Program in Cell and Structural Biology, Cell Ultrastructure Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - José Eduardo Serrão
- Departament of General Biology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Comparison of Accumulated Degree-Days and Entomological Approaches in Post Mortem Interval Estimation. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12030264. [PMID: 33801084 PMCID: PMC8003922 DOI: 10.3390/insects12030264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Among the investigative questions to define the temporal frame of a criminal event, the time since death plays a fundamental role. After death, the body goes through a series of physical and chemical transformations—known as decomposition. The way in which different parts of the body undergo these transformations can be quantified with a scale of scores (TBS, the total body score) and used for the time since death evaluation using the accumulated degree-days (ADDs) parameter, which accounts for time and temperature. This method is reported as TBS/ADD. Another way to estimate the time since death is based on the insect development on the body. Flies represent the first body coloniser and the development of their immature stages is used to define the time of colonisation that is temperature dependent and species specific. In this study, the two methods were compared based on 30 forensic cases occurring in northern Italy. The results highlighted the limits of the TBS/ADD method and the importance of the entomological approach, keeping in mind that with insects the colonization time is evaluated. This time is the minimum time since death. Abstract Establishing the post mortem interval (PMI) is a key component of every medicolegal death investigation. Several methods based on different approaches have been suggested to perform this estimation. Among them, two methods based their evaluation on the effect of the temperature and time on the considered parameters: total body score (TBS)/accumulated degree-days (ADDs) and insect development. In this work, the two methods were compared using the results of minPMI and PMI estimates of 30 forensic cases occurring in northern Italy. Species in the family Calliphoridae (Lucilia sericata, Calliphora vomitoria and Chrysomya albiceps) were considered in the analyses. The results highlighted the limits of the TBS/ADD method and the importance of the entomological approach, keeping in mind that the minPMI is evaluated. Due to the fact that the majority of the cases occurred in indoor conditions, further research must also be conducted on the different taxa to verify the possibility of increasing the accuracy of the minPIM estimation based on the entomological approach.
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Mohammad Z, Alajmi R, Alkuriji M, Metwally D, Kaakeh W, Almeaiweed N. Role of Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) Maggot Crop Contents in Identifying Unknown Cadavers. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:93-98. [PMID: 32725190 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Forensic entomology focuses on the analysis of insect larvae present at crime scenes to help identify unknown cadavers. Carrion-feeding maggots store food in a crop located at the anterior end of the gut. DNA recovered from the crop can be amplified, sequenced, and identified to determine the origin of the food. This information could help investigators to identify a missing victim if maggots are discovered at a crime scene in the absence of a corpse. Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) and Musca domestica (Linnaeus) are primary forensic species. Little or no information on the identification of unknown cadavers using C. albiceps and M. domestica larvae is available, and we aimed to compare the effectiveness of using the crop contents of instars of C. albiceps and M. domestica larvae to identify corpses at different time intervals. Two hundred and forty larvae of both species were reared on rat and/or mouse liver, and DNA from crop contents was extracted after different time intervals from different instar larvae. DNA was amplified using specific primers that match the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mt COI) gene of the food source. Results showed that food provided to larvae affected life span and the ability to be used to identify unknown cadavers. Chrysomya albiceps larvae proved more useful than M. domestica larvae. Moreover, crop contents of third instar larvae of both species fed for 24 h are more useful than contents from other time intervals in identifying unknown tissues. Results are promising and may help investigators to identify unknown/missing victims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zainab Mohammad
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem Alajmi
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alkuriji
- National Center of Agricultural Technology, Life Science and Environmental Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dina Metwally
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Walid Kaakeh
- Global Experts for Environmental and Agricultural Consultancy, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nasser Almeaiweed
- National Center of Agricultural Technology, Life Science and Environmental Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Wang Y, Zhang Y, Hu G, Wang M, Zhu R, Zhai Y, Sun J, Li X, Wang L, Wu M, Wang J. Development of Megaselia spiracularis (Diptera: Phoridae) at different constant temperatures. J Therm Biol 2020; 93:102722. [PMID: 33077135 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Megaselia spiracularis Schmitz, 1938 (Diptera: Phoridae) is a pest that often appears in human living areas where it can spread pathogens. Besides, the species is of forensic value. Currently, studies focusing on the development of this species are limited. Understanding the developmental patterns of M. spiracularis, therefore, is important for controlling populations of this pest and for estimating the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). Here, we studied the development of M. spiracularis exposed to seven constant temperatures ranging from 16 to 34 °C. The developmental durations, accumulated degree hours and larval body length changes were measured. Three kinds of development models that can be used to estimate the PMImin were established, including isomorphen diagram, isomegalen diagram and thermal summation model. The duration of M. spiracularis development at 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31 and 34 °C from egg to adult stage were 1131.1 ± 34.5, 807.3 ± 9.3, 529.6 ± 1.8, 367.0 ± 8.8, 302.4 ± 7.0, 250.0 ± 2.1 and 232.6 ± 1.9 h, respectively. The developmental threshold temperature and the thermal summation constant were estimated as 12.0 ± 0.5 °C and 4989.7 ± 308.9° hours, respectively. A general model represented by a logistic equation describing how larval body length will change with the time after hatching was fit to data. The present study provides basic developmental data of M. spiracularis, which can be used for achieving better control of this noxious insect as well as for estimation of its PMImin at different temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, PR China
| | - Yingna Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, PR China; Department of Anatomy, Shihezi University, Beisi Road, Shihezi, PR China
| | - Guoliang Hu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, PR China
| | - Man Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, PR China
| | - Rui Zhu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, PR China
| | - Yushu Zhai
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, PR China
| | - Jian Sun
- Criminal Police Branch, Wuxi Public Security Bureau, Qianhu Road, Wuxi, PR China
| | - Xiafei Li
- Judicial Appraisal Institute of Jiangyin 515 Hospital, Chengjiang Road, Wuxi, PR China
| | - Lianghai Wang
- Department of Pathology, Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezi, Xinjiang, PR China
| | - Maowang Wu
- School of Forensic Medicine, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002, PR China.
| | - Jiangfeng Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, PR China.
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