[Effects of fauna on cadavers and microbial saprophytes on blood group findings on human tissues]

The investigation of postmortem human tissue, exposed to the influence of flies and their maggots, has shown in general that there is a drop in ABO blood-group activity due to the secretive action of the anterior intestinal gland of the larva. In addition, the phenomenon of acquired heterogeneous blood-group-specific substances was observed. By analogy with the findings in mummy tissues, the postmortal invasion of foreign bacterial and fungal blood-group-active material is discussed as a cause of erroneous serological diagnosis in bones. Acquisition of foreign serological activity through plant saprophytes was detected in a bone sample infested with algae. In different subfossil bone samples, blood-group activity was evident in the more decomposed areas, while in the better preserved parts of the bony substance, negative reactions were obtained.