An economical and efficient method for postmortem DNA sampling in mass fatalities

Mundorff, Amy Z.; Amory, Sylvain; Huel, René; Bilić, Ana; Scott, Angela; Parsons, Thomas J.

doi:10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.07.009

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Assessment for preserving DNA from swabs onto FTA cards in different environments has been simple for both field and laboratory operation at various conditions [42]. The cards have a critical role in saving time, especially in some epidemics to minimize the requirement of culturing methods and long-distance transportation [43].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Flinders Technology Associates card for transporting bacterial isolates and retrieval of bacterial DNA after various storage conditions

Shalaby

Bakry

Mohamed³

et al. 2020

Vet World

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Background and Aim: Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards simplify sample storage, transport, and extraction by reducing cost and time for diagnosis. This study evaluated the FTA suitability for safe transport and storage of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cells of animal origin on its liquid culture form and from organ impression smears (tissues) under the same routine condition of microbiological laboratory along with detecting their nucleic acid over different storage conditions. Materials and Methods: Increase in bacterial count from 104 to 107 (colony-forming units/mL) of 78 isolates representing seven bacterial species was applied onto cards. FTA cards were grouped and inoculated by these bacteria and then stored at different conditions of 24-27°C, 4°C, and –20°C for 24 h, for 2 weeks, for 1 and 3 month storage, respectively. Bacteriological examination was done, after which bacterial DNA was identified using specific primers for each bacterial type and detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The total percentage of recovered bacteria from FTA cards was 66.7% at 24-27–C for 24 h, the detection limit was 100% in Gram-positive species, while it was 57.4% in Gram-negative ones. Regarding viable cell detection from organ impression smears, it was successful under the previous conditions. No live bacterial cells were observed by bacteriological isolation rather than only at 24-27°C for 24 h storage. All bacterial DNA were sufficiently confirmed by the PCR technique at different conditions. Conclusion: Overall, the FTA card method was observed to be a valid tool for nucleic acid purification for bacteria of animal origin in the form of culture or organ smears regardless of its Gram type and is used for a short time only 24 h for storage and transport of live bacteria specifically Gram-positive type. Moreover, the bacterial nucleic acid was intact after storage in –20°C for 3 months and was PCR amplifiable.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Flinders Technology Associates card for transporting bacterial isolates and retrieval of bacterial DNA after various storage conditions

Shalaby

Bakry

Mohamed³

et al. 2020

Vet World

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“…FTA cards are already widely used in the forensic practice and they have been recently proposed as the method of choice for DNA sampling even in extreme situations such as mass fatalities and within the mortuary [5,6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, new solutions for room temperature storage of biological samples have been developed especially in the biobanking field. Some of these, such as Whatman FTA cards have already been widely adopted in the forensic routine for ambient temperature archiving of single-source reference samples from living individuals [4] as well as for post-mortem DNA sampling [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of forensic storage support: DNA quality from 11-year-old saliva on FTA cards

et al. 2019

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Storage conditions influence the integrity of the recoverable DNA from forensic evidence in terms of yield and quality. FTA cards are widely used in the forensic practice as their chemically-treated matrix provides protection from the moment of collection to the point of analysis with current STR typing technology. In this study we assess the recoverability and the integrity of DNA from eleven years old saliva on FTA cards using a forensic quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) commercial assay. The quality after long-term storage was investigated in order to evaluate if the FTA device could assure enough stability over time, applying some internally validated quality criteria of the STR profile. Furthermore, we used a 3D interpolation model to combine the quantitative and qualitative data from qPCR to calculate the Minimum Optimal DNA Input (MODI) to add to the downstream PCR reaction based on the quantitative and qualitative data of a sample. According to our results, when saliva sample is properly transferred onto FTA cards and then correctly stored according to the manufacturer's instructions, it's possible to recover sufficient amounts of DNA for human identification even after more than a decade of storage at ambient temperature. Degradation affected the quality of results especially when the Degradation Index exceeds the value of 2.12, requiring modifications of the standard internal workflow to improve the genotyping quality. Above this value, the application of a "corrective factor" to the PCR normalization process was necessary in order to adjust the recommended manufacturer's PCR DNA input taking into account the degradation level. Our results demonstrated the importance to consider in predictive terms the parameters obtained with the real-time quantification assay, both in terms of quantity (DNA concentration) and of quality (DI, Inhibition). Informatics predictive tools including qPCR data together with the variables of storage duration and conditions should be developed in order to optimize the DNA analysis process.

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“…Following the localization step, the identification is crucial in forensic cases. To this end, studies in HFTF allow the development of new protocols to collect genetic information [198][199][200].…”

Section: Improvements From Studies In Hftfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revolution in death sciences: body farms and taphonomics blooming. A review investigating the advantages, ethical and legal aspects in a Swiss context

Varlet

Joye²,

Forbes

et al. 2020

Int J Legal Med

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Taphonomy is the study of decaying organisms over time and their process of fossilization.Taphonomy, originally a branch of palaeontology and anthropology, was developed to understand the ecology of a decomposition site, how site ecology changes upon the introduction of plant or animal remains and, in turn, how site ecology affects the decomposition of these materials. In recent years, these goals were incorporated by forensic science to understand the decomposition of human cadavers, to provide a basis on which to estimate postmortem and/or postburial interval, to assist in the determination of cause and circumstances of death, and to aid in the location of clandestine graves. These goals are achieved through the study of the factors that influence cadaver decomposition (e.g. temperature, moisture, insect activity). These studies have also provided insight into the belowground ecology of cadaver breakdown and allowed to develop useful protocols for mass disaster managements in humanitarian medicine.From the results obtained, new scientific disciplines have arisen, gathered under the word "taphonomics" such as the study of microorganisms living below/on a cadaver (thanatogeomicrobiology), and join the more classical forensic sciences such as anthropology, botany or entomology. Taking into account the specificities of the study object (human cadaver), primordial requirements are needed in terms of security (physical and environmental) as well as ethical and legal concerns which are studied in the Swiss context.The present review aims to present in a first part the concept of human forensic taphonomy facilities (HFTF, also colloquially named "body farm") leading to an enrichment of forensic sciences with new "taphonomics". The second part is focused on the mandatory points that must be addressed for a HFTF approach, especially because it requires a specific place to undertake this research which must be performed in conformity with a country's human ethics and laws.

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An economical and efficient method for postmortem DNA sampling in mass fatalities

Cited by 13 publications

References 14 publications

Evaluating Flinders Technology Associates card for transporting bacterial isolates and retrieval of bacterial DNA after various storage conditions

Evaluating Flinders Technology Associates card for transporting bacterial isolates and retrieval of bacterial DNA after various storage conditions

The importance of forensic storage support: DNA quality from 11-year-old saliva on FTA cards

Revolution in death sciences: body farms and taphonomics blooming. A review investigating the advantages, ethical and legal aspects in a Swiss context

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