Forensic Microbiology: A Review

Abstract

Forensic microbiology is a branch of forensic science that has been gaining increasing attention as an investigative tool. Working alongside other forensic disciplines, forensic microbiology focuses on the analysis and study of microorganisms that may provide explanations regarding the occurrence of crimes and serve as evidence in legal proceedings. In order to provide an overview of forensic microbiology worldwide and in Brazil, a review of publications on the subject from the last 22 years (2000–2022) was conducted, addressing the use of bacteria, fungi, and viruses as forensic tools. A total of 50 publications were identified, of which 39 were published in English and 11 in Portuguese, highlighting the scarcity of publications on the subject in Brazil. Through the compilation of the articles found, this review primarily addresses bioterrorism, biocrimes, the use of skin bacteria as a means of human identification, the human microbiome in determining the postmortem interval, and the use of fungi in forensic analyses.

Keywords

Perícia
Ciências Forenses
Criminalística
Microbiologia
Bactéria
Fungos
Vírus
Forensics
Forensic Sciences
Criminalistics
Microbiology
Bacteria
Fungi
Viruses
Pericia
Ciencias Forenses
Criminalística
Microbiología
Bacterias
Hongos
Virus

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