Validating sonication as a DNA extraction method for use with carrion flies

Entomological evidence can be critical in establishing a postmortem interval estimate. DNA-based species identification can be an extremely valuable tool for forensic entomology. The problem of processing samples in a consistent, cost-effective manner that retains the morphological attributes of the specimen for vouchering has led us to investigate sonication as a primary means of non-destructive DNA extraction from carrion flies. We analyze the efficacy of this technique and compare it to an established DNA extraction technique - the Qiagen DNeasy tissue kit. Our results indicate that sonication produces a significant reduction in the sequence length and lower PHRED quality scores when compared to sequences using DNA obtained using the DNeasy kit, but species identification and phylogenetic inferences between sonication and DNeasy extractions are equivalent.