A systematic approach to microbial forensics.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic accelerated developments in biotechnology that underpin infection science. These advances present an opportunity to refresh the microbial forensic toolkit. Integration of novel analytical techniques with established forensic methods will speed up acquisition of evidence and better support lines of enquiry. A critical part of any such investigation is demonstration of a robust causal relationship and attribution of responsibility for an incident. In the wider context of a formal investigation into agency, motivation and intent, the quick and efficient assembly of microbiological evidence sets the tone and tempo of the entire investigation. Integration of established and novel analytical techniques from infection science into a systematic approach to microbial forensics will therefore ensure that major perspectives are correctly used to frame and shape the evidence into a clear narrative, while recognizing that forensic hypothesis generation, testing and refinement comprise an iterative process. Development of multidisciplinary training exercises that use this approach will enable translation into practice and efficient implementation when the need arises.

Microbial forensics: what we've learned from Amerithrax and beyond.

The Amerithrax investigation into anthrax letter attacks in the USA forever changed the game in microbial forensics. Here we review the techniques used, then and now, to neutralize bioterrorism threats. [Formula: see text].

Applications of microbiology to different forensic scenarios - A narrative review.

In contrast to other forensic disciplines, forensic microbiology is still too often considered a "side activity" and is not able to make a real and concrete contribution to forensic investigations. Indeed, the various application aspects of this discipline still remain a niche activity and, as a result, microbiological investigations are often omitted or only approximated, in part due to poor report in the literature. However, in certain situations, forensic microbiology can prove to be extremely effective, if not crucial, when all other disciplines fail. Precisely because microorganisms can represent forensic evidence, in this narrative review all the major pathological forensic applications described in the literature have been presented. The goal of our review is to highlight the versatility and transversality of microbiology in forensic science and to provide a comprehensive source of literature to refer to when needed.

Forensic Microbiology in India: A missing piece in the puzzle of criminal investigation system.

BACKGROUND: Forensic Microbiology is an emerging branch of science that has great potential to assist criminal investigations. Having said that, microbial analysis is not performed routinely during forensic investigations in India. This could be attributed to lack of specific training and lack of evidence-based standard protocol. OBJECTIVES: The authors attempt to highlight the key areas in forensic microbiology that need to be explored in a developing nation like India. CONTENT: Forensic microbiology could help in linking a person to a crime, determining the cause of death, estimating postmortem interval (PMI), etc. Additionally, applications are being developed by forensic microbiologists across the globe to investigate the coordinated and dynamic changes in microbial activity which occur after the death of a human host. Such evidence from the human postmortem microbiome can aid in criminal investigations and administration of justice. These recent advances and developments have the potential to transform the field of forensic microbiology in a developing country.

Utility and diagnostic value of postmortem microbiology associated with histology for forensic purposes.

Nowadays, the diagnostic value of postmortem microbiological investigations is still a debated topic, but postmortem microbiology (PMM) remains a discipline with great forensic potential. To evaluate the usefulness and diagnostic-forensic value of postmortem microbiological cultures, it has been conducted a study on cadaveric material sampled during autopsy aiming to identify the correct cause of death. The study analyzed 45 cadavers subjected to judicial autopsy, divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of external or internal macroscopic autopsy signs suggesting infectious pathology. In the same cases, both the microbiological and conventional histological investigations have been simultaneously carried out. From the investigations, mono-bacterial, mono-fungal, mixed and negative cultures were observed. In mono-species microbiological growth, the histological epicrisis confirmed an infectious cause of death due to the presence of signs of acute infection with an aggressive infectious agent. In cases where growth was mixed, it was possible to distinguish between simple postmortal contamination and perimortem colonization. Finally, in some cases where the microbiology was negative, this has been essential in highlighting signs of a vital reaction to viral or parasitic infection. The joint and integrated evaluation of the laboratory results made it possible to correctly understand even those peculiar situations in which the PMM results alone would not have been significant. These methods, when combined, constitute an optimal forensic approach for the identification of the real cause of death and thus reduce the number of unsolved cases.

Association between Facial Types and Handedness among Students of Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences Bayero University, Kano

Background: Generally, a person's dominant hand is a simple and precise determinant of his preference for hand use in fine manual tasks. The main tools used in forensics are derived from the relationships between anthropometric features with important physical and /or biological traits. Objective: This study was to determine the association between facial types and handedness among students of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences of Bayero University, Kano. Methodology: Cross-sectional study design with a consecutive sampling of 400 (180 males and 220 females) students (aged 18 and above) of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences Bayero University, Kano was carried out. Facial height (FH) and facial width (FW) were measured using established landmarks and the facial index (FI) was calculated from them. The dominant handedness of each participant was determined using the writing component of the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. This procedure involved asking the participants to mention which of their hands was dominant. The participant was then asked to write a sentence regarding the activitieshe/she was carrying out at the point of recruitment to ascertain the claim made by the participants. The sentence was written separately using each hand. All the data obtained were analyzed using statistical software (SPSS version 20.0). Results: The study population was relatively young (21.76 ± 2.77 years). Right-handedness was the commonest hand dominance observed in both males (90.7%) and females (91.7%). The commonest types of face were the hypereuriproscopic 2 (0.5%), Euriproscopic 41 (10.3%), Mesoproscopic 78 (19.5%), Leptoproscopic 127 (31.8%) and Hyperleptoproscopic 152 (37%) facial types. The majority of the participants were right-handed and this was regardless of gender. The prediction of handedness based on facial types (ꭕ2 = 1.39, Df =3, P = 0.85) or facial index (P = 0.92, OR=0.99, CI = 0.82 ­ 1.19) was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The facial types identified among the study population were not associated with their handedness and thus it was not a good predictor of handedness