Stages Of Carcass Decomposition Research Articles

Temporal Persistence of Bromadiolone in Decomposing Bodies of Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).

Bromadiolone is a second generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) used to control pest rodents worldwide. SGARs are frequently involved in secondary poisoning in rodent predators due to their persistence and toxicity. This study aims to evaluate the persistence of bromadiolone in liver at different stages of carcass decomposition in experimentally-dosed common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) to understand the possibility of detecting bromadiolone in cases of wildlife poisoning and the potential risk of tertiary poisoning. Twelve individuals were divided into the bromadiolone-dose group (dosed with 55 mg/kg b.w) and the control group. Hepatic bromadiolone concentrations found in each stage of decomposition were: 3000, 2891, 4804, 4245, 8848, and 756 ng/g dry weight at 1–2 h (fresh carcass), 24 h (moderate decomposition), 72 h, 96 h (advanced decomposition), seven days (very advanced decomposition), and 15 days (initial skeletal reduction) after death, respectively. Liver bromadiolone concentrations in carcasses remained relatively stable over the first four days and raised on day 7 of decomposition under the specific conditions of this experiment, presenting a risk of causing tertiary poisoning. However, at the initial skeletal reduction stage, liver bromadiolone concentration declined, which should be considered to interpret toxicological analyses and for proper diagnosis. This experimental study provides for the first time some light to better understand the degradation of SGARs in carcasses in the wild.

Forensic entomology research and application in southern Africa: A scoping review (with corrigendum)

The use of forensic entomology is well established in the northern hemisphere, but is still emerging in the southern hemisphere, where most of the current research is not explicitly undertaken in the context of forensics. In this review, we provide an update on the current status of forensic entomology research and its application in relation to estimation of post-mortem interval in various criminal investigations ranging from murder cases, cases of human neglect and the poaching of wildlife in southern Africa, among other issues. A literature search was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and EBSCOhost databases. The studies reviewed were focused on arthropod diversity during different stages of carcass decomposition, effect of seasons on the abundance and diversity of carrion feeding arthropod species during carcass decomposition, and diurnal and nocturnal oviposition of forensically important insect species during carcass decomposition. It was further observed that arthropod species that established on a decomposing carcass are potentially useful in the estimation of post-mortem interval and determining clues in cases of criminal investigations. The review confirmed the paucity of research in forensic entomology, and its application in southern Africa. Future studies on the research and application of forensic entomology in various criminal investigation scenarios – such as murder cases, human neglect, and wildlife poaching in southern Africa – are therefore needed. Significance: Forensic entomology research and its application is lagging in southern Africa. There is seasonal variation in the arthropod species used for estimation of post-mortem intervals in southern Africa. Identification of arthropod species diversity in the region has potential for application in forensic investigations.

Eskişehir ilinde kırsal ve şehirsel habitatlardaki domuz leşlerine çekilen Coleoptera türlerinin süksesyon farklılıkları

Bu calismanin amaci, Eskisehir ilinde domuz lesi uzerindeki Coleoptera suksesyonunun belirlenmesi ve kirsal ve sehirsel habitatlardaki suksesyonal duzen farkliliklarinin degerlendirilmesidir. Eskisehir ilinde bulunan bir kirsal bir de sehirsel alana toplam 24 domuz lesi, Haziran 2012 ve Mayis 2013 arasinda bir yillik sure boyunca yerlestirilmistir. Coleoptera takimi icerisinde Staphylinidae, Histeridae, Dermestidae, Silphidae ve Cleridae familyalarina ait toplam 80 tur, ya direkt olarak les uzerinden ya da toprakta bulunan turler icin elemeyle toplanmistir. Tum turlerin aylari ve farkli curume evrelerinde bulunduklari sureler belirlenmistir. Buna ek olarak Turkiye’nin les Coleoptera faunasina yeni kayitlar eklenmistir. Yapilan calismada, cok yakin alanlarda bile hem tur sayisinin hem de aktivite periyodlarinin belirgin sekilde farklilik gosterdigi aciga cikmaktadir. Bu sekildeki uzun-sureli suksesyon calismalarinin Turkiye’nin tum illerinde yapilmasi gerekliligi ortaya konulmustur. Elde edilen veriler Turkiye’de adli olaylarda minimum olum zaman araligi tahmininde potansiyel olarak kullanilabilecektir.

Initial study of arthropods succession and pig carrion decomposition in two freshwater ecosystems in the Colombian Andes

Entomological succession and trophic roles of arthropods associated with different stages of carcass decomposition were studied to estimate the post-mortem submersion interval in two freshwater ecosystems in the Colombian Andes, at an altitude of 2614 m. Pig carcasses were employed as models placed 68 m apart, one in a stream (lotic) and another in an artificial lake (lentic). Decomposition time to skeletal remains was 74 days in the lake and 80 days in the stream. Six phases of decomposition were established: submerged fresh, early floating, floating decay, bloated deterioration, floating remains and sunken remains. A total of 18,832 organisms associated with the carcasses were collected: 11,487 in the lake (four orders, 19 families and 33 species) and 7345 in the stream (eight orders, 15 families and 25 species). Organisms were classified in the following ecological categories: shredders, collectors, predators, necrophagous, sarcosaprophagous and opportunists. Physical and chemical properties of the habitats, such as water temperature, CO(2) and conductivity, varied according to rainfall. In the lake, shredders (Coleoptera: Tropisternus sp. and Berosus sp.) and collectors (Diptera: Chironomus sp.) were found to be associated with submerged phases. Predators (Odonata) were only present during the first phases. Coleoptera (Dytiscidae) were found during floating decay and bloated deterioration stages. In the stream, shredders (Hyalella sp.) and collectors (Simulium sp.) were found during all stages, whereas the predator Oxelytrum discicolle was found exclusively during the floating stages, during which body temperature increased in a fashion similar to active decay in terrestrial environments.

Imunofluorescência realizada em cérebros de camundongos infectados com vírus rábico - cepa CVS, em diferentes estágios de decomposição

The efficiency of the fluorescent antibody (FA) test in detecting rabies virus antigen in decomposed specimens was evaluated in simulated conditions of the safety test recommended for the assessment of residual virus in inactivated rabies vaccines. The CVS-infected mice were submitted to different treatments combining time and temperature in order to cause different stages of carcass decomposition and, the FA test was carried out sequentially at pre-determined time intervals. For the materials stored at 25 degrees C, greater difficulties for prompt recognition of the inclusion bodies were found after 12-18h, whilst the specimens maintained at 4 degrees C, the inclusions were easily visualized for up to 48h. Brain smears of carcasses kept at -20 degrees C were suitable for adequate identification after 720 h of storage. In carcasses that had been maintained at 25 degrees C for 10 h with additional storage at 4 or -20 degrees C, rabies antigenicity could not be detected, respectively after 10 and 24 h, due to tissue decomposition. The authors recommend that the FA test, when applied as an additional tool for the control of the safety test of inactivated rabies vaccine using mice, care must be taken in order to avoid the use of decomposed materials.

An analysis of Arthropod succession in Carrion and the effect of its decomposiion on the soil fauna.

The present study falls into two clearly defined parts, one dealing with the succession of carrion-frequenting organisms in dead guinea pigs, the other examining the influence of carrion on the typical soil fauna of a sclerophyll woodland. Five different stages of carcass decomposition were recognized and these were correlated with the animal communities occupying them. These communities were contrasted with the community dwelling in the leaf litter and soil. The various stages of decomposition affected the underlying soil differently, the greatest effect being observed during the "black putrefaction" and "butyric fermentation" stages. During the black putrefaction stage, body fluids which passed into the soil formed a cemented crust with the plant litter and the upper soil layer. The liquified decomposition products during the butyric fermentation stage destroyed the underlying plants as well as the soil fauna. The decomposition resulted in the production of two distinct zones in the upper soil layers which differed both physically and in arthropod populations from a control area. The fauna of the "carrion zone", i.e. the area beneath the carcass, differed greatly from that of the control area. The fauna of the "intermediate zone", i.e. the belt surrounding the carrion 10 cm wide, also showed substantial differences. Only carrion dwellers were present in the carrion zone, whereas both these and soil dwellers were present in the intermediate zone. The decomposition of carrion had a marked effect on the soil fauna to a depth of 14 cm, but this was less drastic than in the upper soil layers. The reinvasion of the carrion zone by soil arthropods was not completed after a year. At the end of the study period, subterranean forms were better re-established than soil-surface or litter dwellers.