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Problemy Współczesnej Kryminalistyki

Vol. 27 (2023)

Artykuły

Possibilities of using microbiome analysis in forensics

  • Katarzyna Zakrzewska
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52097/pwk.8469  [Google Scholar]
Published: 2024-01-29

Abstract

The article takes a closer look at the applicability of forensic microbiology in cases other than biohazard and bioterrorism. Applications have been limited to microorganisms present virtually everywhere, in distinctive communities, called microbiomes. The issue of personal identification is presented and extended to the analysis of “bacterial fingerprints,” i.e. bacterial communities characteristic of each person. The potential for locating crimes, including typing the locations of hidden corpses based on soil microbiome studies, is discussed. The related possible ways of eliminating suspects are characterized, and a method for estimating the time of death based on microbiome studies of cadavers and soil in the immediate vicinity is described. The review paper aimed to compile the most common foreign studies conducted on the use of microbial communities in forensic practice, and attempt to present promising perspectives in the pages of a Polish forensic journal, as the topic seems insufficiently explored in our country.

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