Sex‐related differences in the thanatomicrobiome in postmortem heart samples using bacterial gene regions V1‐2 and V4

Bell, Courtnee’ R.; Wilkinson, Jeremy E.; Robertson, Boakai K.; Javan, Gulnaz T.

doi:10.1111/lam.13005

Cited by 30 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The utilization of genetic (Javan et al, 2020) and microbial data in the context of forensic investigations holds great promise for the field of forensic science (Bell et al, 2018;Oliveira and Amorim, 2018). Identification of taxa that are associated with PMI, specific causes of death, or other traits such as age, sex, and BMI may allow investigators to refine the circumstantial details surrounding the death of an individual.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Extended Postmortem Interval on Microbial Communities in Organs of the Human Cadaver

et al. 2020

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Human thanatomicrobiota studies have shown that microorganisms inhabit and proliferate externally and internally throughout the body and are the primary mediators of putrefaction after death. Yet little is known about the source and diversity of the thanatomicrobiome or the underlying factors leading to delayed decomposition exhibited by reproductive organs. The use of the V4 hypervariable region of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences for taxonomic classification (“barcoding”) and phylogenetic analyses of human postmortem microbiota has recently emerged as a possible tool in forensic microbiology. The goal of this study was to apply a 16S rRNA barcoding approach to investigate variation among different organs, as well as the extent to which microbial associations among different body organs in human cadavers can be used to predict forensically important determinations, such as cause and time of death. We assessed microbiota of organ tissues including brain, heart, liver, spleen, prostate, and uterus collected at autopsy from criminal casework of 40 Italian cadavers with times of death ranging from 24 to 432 h. Both the uterus and prostate had a significantly higher alpha diversity compared to other anatomical sites, and exhibited a significantly different microbial community composition from non-reproductive organs, which we found to be dominated by the bacterial orders MLE1-12, Saprospirales, and Burkholderiales. In contrast, reproductive organs were dominated by Clostridiales, Lactobacillales, and showed a marked decrease in relative abundance of MLE1-12. These results provide insight into the observation that the uterus and prostate are the last internal organs to decay during human decomposition. We conclude that distinct community profiles of reproductive versus non-reproductive organs may help guide the application of forensic microbiology tools to investigations of human cadavers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Extended Postmortem Interval on Microbial Communities in Organs of the Human Cadaver

et al. 2020

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“…It is a single phylogenetic marker which can provide a more indepth coverage but cannot differentiate at the species level. The reasons for which it is widely used for molecular identification are as follows: (a) the relatively short 16S rRNA gene has hypervariable regions appropriately sized for the metagenomic platforms and (b) the conserved regions of this gene allow for designing universal primers to target the hypervariable regions describing the microbial diversity (Bell et al, 2018). It has been observed that the V4 hypervariable region is the most sensitive for microbial signatures.…”

Section: Currently Available Techniques: An Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been observed that the V4 hypervariable region is the most sensitive for microbial signatures. The segments juxtaposed to V2 and V4 hypervariable regions have, again, the highest accuracy for taxonomic determination (Chakravorty et al, 2007;Bell et al, 2018). However, this approach has certain limitations.…”

Section: Currently Available Techniques: An Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The postmortem transmigration of Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens during murine decomposition can help in determining the cause of death and track down the origins associated with the geographic location of the human remains during postmortem investigations (Burcham et al, 2016). In 10 heart samples from individuals who died of cardiac arrest, Bell et al (2018) studied the heart thanatomicrobiome and found sex-related differences in male and female corpses at the bacterial phylum (Firmicutes in males and Proteobacteria in females), class (Bacilli in males and γ-Proteobacteria in females), order (Lactobacillales and Rhizobiales only detected in males and Pseudomonadales in females), family (Streptococcaceae only detected in males), and genus (Streptococcus and Lactobacillus in males) levels, which demonstrated that microbial populations form ecological niches differently in the hearts of males and females after death (Bell et al, 2018). They also found Proteobacteria to have the highest abundance, which indicates a relationship between heart thanatomicrobiome and cardiac diseases; as Proteobacteria, usually found in the gut, can act as precursors to inflammation; it can also cause dysbiosis and an increased risk of heart disease, as it has been shown as an independent marker of risk of cardiovascular disease in previous antemortem studies (Amar et al, 2013;Metcalf et al, 2013;Shin et al, 2015).…”

Section: Dysbiosis In Cause Of Deathmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbiome in Death and Beyond: Current Vistas and Future Trends

et al. 2021

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Forensic medicine has, for a long time, been relying on biochemical, anthropologic, and histopathologic evidences in solving various investigations. However, depending on the method used, lengthy sample processing time, scanty sample, and less sensitivity and accuracy pervade these procedures. Accordingly, newer arenas such as the thanatomicrobiome have come forward to aid in its quandaries; furthermore, the parallel advances in genomic and proteomic techniques have complemented and are still emerging to be used in forensic experiments and investigations. Postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the most important aspects of medico-legal investigations. The current trend in PMI estimation is toward genomic analyses of autopsy samples. Similarly, determination of cause of death, although a domain of medical sciences, is being targeted as the next level of forensic casework. With the current trend in laboratory sciences moving to the discovery of newer disease-specific markers for diagnostic and prognostic purposes, the same is being explored for the determination of the cause of death by using techniques such as Real-Time PCR, DNA micro-array, to Next-Gen Sequencing. Establishing an individual’s biological profile has been done using medicolegal methods and anthropology as well as bar-bodies/Davidson bodies (gender determination); and in cases where the determination of age/gender is a challenge using morphological characteristics; the recent advances in the field of genomics and proteomics have played a significant role, e.g., use of mitochondrial DNA in age estimation and in maternity disputes. The major hurdle forensic medical research faces is the fact that most of the studies are conducted in animal models, which are often difficult to mimic in human and real-time scenarios. Additionally, the high accuracy required in criminal investigations to be used in a court of law as evidence has prevented these results to come out of the labs and be used to the optimum. The current review aims at giving a comprehensive and critical account of the various molecular biology techniques including “thanatogenomics,” currently being utilized in the veritable fields of forensic medicine.

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“…Similarly, Bell et al (45) examined the postmortem microbiomes of the cardiac tissues of 10 cadavers with a postmortem interval of 6 to 58 h. The investigation revealed that the cardiac microbiomes of male and female cadavers are different. The genera Streptococcus and Lactobacillus were found exclusively in men.…”

Section: Microbiome Analysis In Postmortem Forensic Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the Human Microbiome in Forensic Sciences: a Systematic Review

García

Pérez-Cárceles

Osuna

et al. 2020

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Numerous studies relate differences in microbial communities to human health and disease, however little is known about microbial changes that occur post mortem or the possible applications of microbiome analysis in the field of forensic science. The aim of this review was study the microbiome and its applications in forensic sciences, to determine the main lines of investigation that are emerging, as well as its possible contributions in the forensic field. A systematic review of the human microbiome in relation to forensic science was carried out following PRISMA guidelines. This study throws light on the role of microbiome research in the postmortem interval during the process of decomposition; identifying death caused by drowning or sudden death; locating the geographical location of death; establishing a connection between human microbiome and personal items, sexual contact, and the identification of individuals. Actinomycetaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Alcaligenaceae and Bacilli play an important role in determining the postmortem interval. Aeromonas can be used to determine the cause of death, and Corynebacterium or Helicobacter pylori to ascertain personal identity or geographical location. Several studies point to a promising future for microbiome analysis in the different fields of forensic science, opening up an important new area of research.

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Sex‐related differences in the thanatomicrobiome in postmortem heart samples using bacterial gene regions V1‐2 and V4

Cited by 30 publications

References 29 publications

Effects of Extended Postmortem Interval on Microbial Communities in Organs of the Human Cadaver

Effects of Extended Postmortem Interval on Microbial Communities in Organs of the Human Cadaver

Microbiome in Death and Beyond: Current Vistas and Future Trends

Impact of the Human Microbiome in Forensic Sciences: a Systematic Review

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