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Microorganisms
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Forensic Microorganism
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Forensic Microorganism

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 4303

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jifeng Cai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, China
Interests: forensic microorganism; forensic pathology; TBI

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganism evidence provides a special perspective and direction in forensic investigations, and the  succession  of  microbiota  is  closely  associated  with  several  essential  factors,  including race,  sex,  health  condition,  lifestyle,  postmortem  interval,  etc.,  and  it  has  great  potential  application value  in  forensic  medicine, such as estimating the postmortem interval (PMI), place and cause of death and individual identification. In recent years, the feasibility of microorganism evidence in forensic investigations has been proven by theories and cases. However, further research and standardization are still required to improve the effectiveness of microorganism evidence in forensic investigation, mainly including forensic microorganims investigation standards, methods of analysis, succession under different environments and regions, and so on. In addition, with the rapid development of information technology and biotechnology, such as artificial intelligence, next-generation sequencing and molecular bioinformatics technology applied in forensic microorganisms, they have become new research directions to improve the application of microbiota evidence in forensic science value and range. Case reports are particularly valuable, since forensic microorganisms are constantly evolving and broadening with their applications. Therefore, in this Special Issue, we encourage submissions on all aspects of forensic microorganisms.

Prof. Dr. Jifeng Cai
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forensic microorganism
  • postmortem interval estimation
  • individual identification
  • wound age estimation
  • age estimation
  • cause of death identification
  • geographical feature identification

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1215 KiB  
Article
Ethanol and Higher Alcohols’ Production in Fungal and Bacterial Laboratory Cultures and Significance for Forensic Samples
by Vassiliki A. Boumba, Glykeria Velivasi and Nikolaos Kourkoumelis
Microorganisms 2024, 12(3), 462; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12030462 - 24 Feb 2024
Viewed by 726
Abstract
Ethanol can be produced by many microorganisms that colonize a dead body. Ethanol’s concentration depends on the congener higher alcohols, 1-propanol, isobutanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 1-butanol, as previous research has shown. This correlation is expressed by mathematical models which estimate the concentration of [...] Read more.
Ethanol can be produced by many microorganisms that colonize a dead body. Ethanol’s concentration depends on the congener higher alcohols, 1-propanol, isobutanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 1-butanol, as previous research has shown. This correlation is expressed by mathematical models which estimate the concentration of microbial ethanol. The aim of this contribution was to study the ethanol and higher alcohols’ production in various laboratory bacterial and fungal cultures and the applicability of the bacterial and fungal models (which concern the bacteria E. coli, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and E. faecalis, and the fungus C. albicans) in these samples, as well as in blood samples from autopsy cases, with the overall objective of investigating the models’ applicability in routine casework. The bacteria and fungus were cultured in conventional culture media and in denatured human blood cultures under various conditions. The alcohols’ concentrations were determined using a head space–gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (HS-GC-FID). The previously reported bacterial and yeast models were applied in the cultured samples and in blood from 122 autopsy cases. Our results showed that 1-propanol was not produced by C. albicans and E. faecalis under certain conditions. Also, 1-butanol was not produced by C. albicans, E. faecalis, and K. pneumonia under certain conditions. Furthermore, the bacterial models were applicable in postmortem samples irrespective of the microbes that were possibly activated in the sample, while the EC models showed the best applicability among all the bacterial and yeast models. The best applicability of the bacterial models was observed in autopsy blood with 0.10 g/L < BAC < 1.0 g/L in cases of violent and undetermined causes of death and in cases with putrefaction. Finally, the yeast models were applicable in limited, possibly special, autopsy cases. In conclusion, it could be inferred that the source of ethanol in any given postmortem blood sample is likely microbial if either most bacterial models or at least one model from each distinct bacterial species is successfully applicable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Microorganism)
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12 pages, 2979 KiB  
Article
Effect of Ciprofloxacin on the Composition of Intestinal Microbiota in Sarcophaga peregrina (Diptera: Sarcophagidae)
by Haojie Tang, Xiangyan Zhang, Fengqin Yang, Changquan Zhang, Fernand Jocelin Ngando, Lipin Ren and Yadong Guo
Microorganisms 2023, 11(12), 2867; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11122867 - 27 Nov 2023
Viewed by 778
Abstract
The intestinal bacteria of insects are crucial to the growth and development of the host. It has been found that various physiological processes of insects, such as immune response, metabolism, reproductive ability, and growth and development, involve the gastrointestinal flora. However, many external [...] Read more.
The intestinal bacteria of insects are crucial to the growth and development of the host. It has been found that various physiological processes of insects, such as immune response, metabolism, reproductive ability, and growth and development, involve the gastrointestinal flora. However, many external factors affect the composition of insects’ intestinal microorganisms, such as the type of dietary substrate. Sarcophaga peregrina (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) is of great significance in medicine and forensic science. In this study, we investigated the effects of ciprofloxacin on the growth and gut microbiota of S. peregrina. The results demonstrated that the maximum body length of larvae was not affected by ciprofloxacin, while the growth rate of body length quickened as the concentration of the drug increased. The weight of the pupa and adult was reduced significantly due to the effect of ciprofloxacin. After analyzing the gut microbiota composition of S. peregrina in different drug groups, it was indicated that Ignatzschineria, Providencia, Wohlfahrtiimonas, Proteus, Myroides, and Bacteroides play important roles in the growth of S. peregrina. However, they still need to be further studied. In general, ciprofloxacin can affect the gut microbial community structure, which in turn affects the fitness of the host. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Microorganism)
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15 pages, 8220 KiB  
Article
Changes in Microbial Communities Using Pigs as a Model for Postmortem Interval Estimation
by Fan Yang, Xiangyan Zhang, Sheng Hu, Hao Nie, Peng Gui, Zengtao Zhong, Yadong Guo and Xingchun Zhao
Microorganisms 2023, 11(11), 2811; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11112811 - 20 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1009
Abstract
Microbial communities can undergo significant successional changes during decay and decomposition, potentially providing valuable insights for determining the postmortem interval (PMI). The microbiota produce various gases that cause cadaver bloating, and rupture releases nutrient-rich bodily fluids into the environment, altering the soil microbiota [...] Read more.
Microbial communities can undergo significant successional changes during decay and decomposition, potentially providing valuable insights for determining the postmortem interval (PMI). The microbiota produce various gases that cause cadaver bloating, and rupture releases nutrient-rich bodily fluids into the environment, altering the soil microbiota around the carcasses. In this study, we aimed to investigate the underlying principles governing the succession of microbial communities during the decomposition of pig carcasses and the soil beneath the carcasses. At early decay, the phylum Firmicutes and Bacteroidota were the most abundant in both the winter and summer pig rectum. However, Proteobacteria became the most abundant in the winter pig rectum in late decay. Using genus as a biomarker to estimate the PMI could get the MAE from 1.375 days to 2.478 days based on the RF model. The abundance of bacterial communities showed a decreasing trend with prolonged decomposition time. There were statistically significant differences in microbial diversity in the two periods (pre-rupture and post-rupture) of the four groups (WPG 0–8Dvs. WPG 16–40D, p < 0.0001; WPS 0–16Dvs. WPS 24–40D, p = 0.003; SPG 0D vs. SPG 8–40D, p = 0.0005; and SPS 0D vs. SPS 8–40D, p = 0.0208). Most of the biomarkers in the pre-rupture period belong to obligate anaerobes. In contrast, the biomarkers in the post-rupture period belong to aerobic bacteria. Furthermore, the genus Vagococcus shows a similar increase trend, whether in winter or summer. Together, these results suggest that microbial succession was predictable and can be developed into a forensic tool for estimating the PMI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Microorganism)
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18 pages, 14082 KiB  
Article
Temporal Changes of the Oral and Fecal Microbiota after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats by 16S rRNA Sequencing
by Shujuan Wang, Yanjie Shang, Zhiyun Pi, Ziqi Zhou, Xiangyan Zhang, Lipin Ren, Weibo Liang, Yadong Guo, Jifeng Cai and Changquan Zhang
Microorganisms 2023, 11(6), 1452; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11061452 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1341
Abstract
A mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can increase the risk of neurodegenerative-related disease, and serious long-term outcomes are often overlooked. In forensic science, the accurate identification of mTBIs can directly affect the application of evidence in practice cases. Recent research has revealed that [...] Read more.
A mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can increase the risk of neurodegenerative-related disease, and serious long-term outcomes are often overlooked. In forensic science, the accurate identification of mTBIs can directly affect the application of evidence in practice cases. Recent research has revealed that the oral cavity and fecal microbiota play a fundamental role in deeply interconnecting the gut and brain injury. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between the temporal changes of the oral cavity and fecal bacterial communities with damage identification and post-injury time estimation after mTBI. In this study, we analyzed the oral cavity and fecal bacterial communities in mTBI rats under 12 different post-injury times (sham, 0 h, 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 2 d, 3 d, 5 d, 7 d, 10 d, and 14 d post-injury) using 16S rRNA sequencing technology. The sequence results revealed bacteria belonging to 36 phyla, 82 classes, 211 orders, 360 families, 751 genera, and 1398 species. Compared to the sham group, the relative abundance of the bacterial communities varied markedly in the post-injury groups. Importantly, our data demonstrated that Fusobacteria, Prevotellaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Lactobacillaceae might be the potential candidates for mTBI identification, and 2 h post-injury was a critical time point to explore the temporal changes of mTBI injury-time estimation. The results also provide new ideas for mTBI treatment in the clinic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Microorganism)
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