Microbial community analyses provide a differential diagnosis for the antemortem and postmortem injury of decayed cadaver: An animal model. (January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xiang, Qingqing; Su, Qin; Li, Qi; Liu, Jingjian; Du, Yukun; Shi, He; Li, Zhigang; Ma, Yanbin; Niu, Yong; Chen, Lifang; Liu, Chao; Zhao, Jian
• Is Part Of: Journal of forensic and legal medicine. Volume 93(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Subjects: Forensic pathology -- Antemortem injuries -- Postmortem injuries -- Bacterial community -- 16S amplicon Sequencing; Medical jurisprudence -- Periodicals; Forensic sciences -- Periodicals; Forensic Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine légale -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 614.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2022.102473
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1752-928X

Abstract

Abstract: Differentiating antemortem injury from postmortem injury of decayed cadavers is one of the difficult issues in forensic science. Forensic pathologists identify antemortem injury according to the macroscopic and microscopic vital reactions taken place after being injured. However, the decomposition would render those vital reactions ineffective. Microbiomes have been widely used in forensic science due to their succession with time and sensitivity to vary of environment. In this study, microbiomes were introduced to determine whether the bacterial communities can be used to distinguish between the ante- and postmortem injuries through an animal experiment. Our findings showed that the differences of bacterial community were increasingly apparent from the 6th to 9th day after the wound created when the types of wounds were unidentified by morphological examination due to decomposition. The biomarkers at the genus level could effectively distinguish between injury types, Among them, Enterococcus and Enterobacter were only observed in the antemortem injured group, while Staphylococcus and Acinetobacter were only in the postmortem injured group. It is possible to tell whether cadaveric injuries developed before or after death by detecting differences in the bacterial communities of putrefying wounds. This study provides a new perspective for the differences between ante- and postmortem injuries and provides a promising method for us to identify the ante- and postmortem wounds, especially in decomposed cadavers. Highlights: The identification of antemortem and postmortem wounds in decomposed bodies is a difficult issue in forensic sciences. The antemortem and postmortem wounds cannot be distinguished by morphological inspection in late stage of decomposition. The bacterial community succession patterns of the antemortem and postmortem wounds were investigated by 16S rDNA. Bacterial community provides a differential diagnosis for the antemortem and postmortem wounds in the decomposed cadavers.