Investigating the Post-Mortem Interval (PMI) with Forensically Important Necrobiomes

Authors

  • Pallavi Kumari
  • Shubham Yadav

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37506/ijfmt.v17i3.19496

Keywords:

Necrobiome, Microbial diversity, Decomposition analysis, Post-Mortem Interval (PMI), Time Since Death (TSD), Microbial Forensics.

Abstract

Estimating the post-mortem time interval (PMI) is a crucial component of the forensic investigation and is extremely
difficult for medico-legal experts to do. After death, the succession of microbes in various parts of the human body
has enormous potential for predicting PMI. The human body is home to trillions of commensal microorganisms.
These microbes behave in a different way when biological processes stop, which coincides with the death of an
individual and the invasion of deteriorating microbes from the environment. Due to cell autolysis, which draws a
variety of invasive macro- and microorganisms, human cadavers become a rich source of nutrients. The succession
of microorganisms differs significantly at various stages of degradation, which can be investigated for precise
PMI estimation. Necrobiome analysis has drawn a lot of attention in PMI estimation due to the development
of microbial genomics technology and decrease in the price of DNA sequencing. The review article provides a
summary of the various microorganism sources, their successional pattern, and analytical methods that can be
used in the field of microbial forensics.

Author Biographies

  • Pallavi Kumari

    Department of Forensic Science, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, India.

  • Shubham Yadav

    Department of Forensic Science, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, India.

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Published

2023-07-04

How to Cite

Investigating the Post-Mortem Interval (PMI) with Forensically Important Necrobiomes. (2023). Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 17(3), 97-103. https://doi.org/10.37506/ijfmt.v17i3.19496