Microbiome and Metagenome Signatures: The Potential Toolkit for Futuristic Forensic Investigations

Abstract

Advancements in genome sequencing technologies, improvements in microbial sampling methods and recent approaches in bioinformatics have driven the rise in microbiomics and metagenomics. Diverse ranges of microbial communities are hosted by human bodies which interact with its environment and cause change in it. Human and environmental microbial profiles can be extracted and analyzed to get information of these interactions and they are likely to be applicable in forensics. In this review we explain microbiome and metagenomics with emphasis on its application in forensics and for identification purposes, and factors affecting the microbiome diversity in the light of previous studies. No doubt this field is still in its beginning but the use of microbiomics and metagenomics signature for this purpose has potential to increase the forensic toolkit. Most of time, studies have been affected by sample size limitation and model accuracies which leads to less exploration of the complete potential of microbiomics in forensics. Furthermore, currently the information obtained from microbial forensics is not considered in dubious by the law enforcement agencies. However, extensive research is needed to overcome these challenges to make evidences based on microbiome served to futuristic revolutionary forensic investigations.