Human and insect mitochondrial DNA analysis from maggots Article

Wells, JD, Introna, F, Di Vella, G et al. (2001). Human and insect mitochondrial DNA analysis from maggots . JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, 46(3), 685-687. 10.1520/jfs15022j

cited authors

  • Wells, JD; Introna, F; Di Vella, G; Campobasso, CP; Hayes, J; Sperling, FAH

authors

abstract

  • During the course of our forensic investigations, we have encountered situations where it would have been useful to have evidence, other than direct contact between the two, for concluding that a carrion-fly maggot developed on a particular human victim. If a maggot collected during a death investigation did not develop on the victim, then its age is not relevant to estimating the postmortem interval. In this study we demonstrate that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data can be obtained from the dissected gut of a maggot that had fed on human tissue. These data can be used to identify both the human corpse upon which the maggot had been feeding and the species of the maggot itself.

publication date

  • January 1, 2001

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 685

end page

  • 687

volume

  • 46

issue

  • 3