Forensic medical examination of feces in traces on material evidence: A review

Abstract

This article provides a review of studies on forensic medical examination of feces in traces on material evidence. This issue has long attracted the attention of researchers owing to the need to identify feces in traces on material evidence during the investigation of criminal acts, including sexual assault cases. Review of literature sources has shown that the existing methods of fecal detection include the study of the morphological, enzyme, pigment, and bacteriological compositions of feces. As the methods of laboratory diagnostics improved, the methods of fecal identification also improved from microscopic to high-tech molecular genetic methods. However, despite the advantages, each of the existing methods have their limitations. Thus, an integrated approach for fecal identification should be developed to identify its micro-traces, study putrefactive objects, differentiate feces from other biological fluids of the human body and animal feces, and perform a comparative study of feces in traces and fecal samples of persons involved to establish their common origin.