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Identification of Rare Bacterial Pathogens by 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS
06:34

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Published on: July 11, 2016

Forensic identification using skin bacterial communities.

Noah Fierer1, Christian L Lauber, Nick Zhou

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. noah.fierer@colorado.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|March 17, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Forensic science can now identify individuals using the unique skin bacteria they leave behind on objects. This novel approach matches residual bacteria on surfaces to a person's skin microbiome for identification.

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Use of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and a Custom Database to Characterize Bacteria Indigenous to a Unique Cave Environment (Kartchner Caverns, AZ, USA)
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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Forensic Science
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Skin-associated bacterial communities exhibit high diversity and interindividual variability.
  • These personalized bacterial communities are unique to each individual.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of using residual skin bacteria on objects for forensic identification.
  • To determine if skin bacteria left on surfaces can be matched to individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Recovery of skin-associated bacteria from various surfaces, including computer keys and mice.
  • Analysis of bacterial community structure using high-throughput pyrosequencing.
  • Quantitative comparison of bacterial communities from objects and skin.

Main Results:

  • Skin bacteria can be successfully recovered from surfaces even after 2 weeks at room temperature.
  • Bacterial community structure effectively differentiates objects handled by different individuals.
  • High-throughput pyrosequencing allows for accurate matching of object bacteria to individuals.

Conclusions:

  • The study demonstrates the validity of using skin-associated bacteria for forensic identification.
  • This approach offers a novel method to complement traditional forensic practices.
  • Further research is needed to fully establish the forensic utility of this microbiome-based technique.