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Forensic Applications of Microbiomics : A Review

Robinson, Jake M. ; Pasternak, Zohar ; Mason, Christopher E. and Elhaik, Eran LU orcid (2021) In Frontiers in Microbiology 11.
Abstract

The rise of microbiomics and metagenomics has been driven by advances in genomic sequencing technology, improved microbial sampling methods, and fast-evolving approaches in bioinformatics. Humans are a host to diverse microbial communities in and on their bodies, which continuously interact with and alter the surrounding environments. Since information relating to these interactions can be extracted by analyzing human and environmental microbial profiles, they have the potential to be relevant to forensics. In this review, we analyzed over 100 papers describing forensic microbiome applications with emphasis on geolocation, personal identification, trace evidence, manner and cause of death, and inference of the postmortem interval (PMI).... (More)

The rise of microbiomics and metagenomics has been driven by advances in genomic sequencing technology, improved microbial sampling methods, and fast-evolving approaches in bioinformatics. Humans are a host to diverse microbial communities in and on their bodies, which continuously interact with and alter the surrounding environments. Since information relating to these interactions can be extracted by analyzing human and environmental microbial profiles, they have the potential to be relevant to forensics. In this review, we analyzed over 100 papers describing forensic microbiome applications with emphasis on geolocation, personal identification, trace evidence, manner and cause of death, and inference of the postmortem interval (PMI). We found that although the field is in its infancy, utilizing microbiome and metagenome signatures has the potential to enhance the forensic toolkit. However, many of the studies suffer from limited sample sizes and model accuracies, and unrealistic environmental settings, leaving the full potential of microbiomics to forensics unexplored. It is unlikely that the information that can currently be elucidated from microbiomics can be used by law enforcement. Nonetheless, the research to overcome these challenges is ongoing, and it is foreseeable that microbiome-based evidence could contribute to forensic investigations in the future.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
forensic microbiology, forensic science, metagenomics, microbial forensics, microbiome, microbiomics, postmortem interval
in
Frontiers in Microbiology
volume
11
article number
608101
publisher
Frontiers Media S. A.
external identifiers
  • scopus:85100020491
  • pmid:33519756
ISSN
1664-302X
DOI
10.3389/fmicb.2020.608101
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5eb8f9cc-e6f4-49a7-b361-a93faed25f7a
date added to LUP
2021-02-05 15:03:16
date last changed
2024-06-28 10:48:36
@article{5eb8f9cc-e6f4-49a7-b361-a93faed25f7a,
  abstract     = {{<p>The rise of microbiomics and metagenomics has been driven by advances in genomic sequencing technology, improved microbial sampling methods, and fast-evolving approaches in bioinformatics. Humans are a host to diverse microbial communities in and on their bodies, which continuously interact with and alter the surrounding environments. Since information relating to these interactions can be extracted by analyzing human and environmental microbial profiles, they have the potential to be relevant to forensics. In this review, we analyzed over 100 papers describing forensic microbiome applications with emphasis on geolocation, personal identification, trace evidence, manner and cause of death, and inference of the postmortem interval (PMI). We found that although the field is in its infancy, utilizing microbiome and metagenome signatures has the potential to enhance the forensic toolkit. However, many of the studies suffer from limited sample sizes and model accuracies, and unrealistic environmental settings, leaving the full potential of microbiomics to forensics unexplored. It is unlikely that the information that can currently be elucidated from microbiomics can be used by law enforcement. Nonetheless, the research to overcome these challenges is ongoing, and it is foreseeable that microbiome-based evidence could contribute to forensic investigations in the future.</p>}},
  author       = {{Robinson, Jake M. and Pasternak, Zohar and Mason, Christopher E. and Elhaik, Eran}},
  issn         = {{1664-302X}},
  keywords     = {{forensic microbiology; forensic science; metagenomics; microbial forensics; microbiome; microbiomics; postmortem interval}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Frontiers Media S. A.}},
  series       = {{Frontiers in Microbiology}},
  title        = {{Forensic Applications of Microbiomics : A Review}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.608101}},
  doi          = {{10.3389/fmicb.2020.608101}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}