Implications of Microbes in Forensic DNA Fingerprinting

Abstract

It was the human genomic and mitochondrial DNA which was used in DNA fingerprinting in forensic case studies. However, many of the time, the human DNA is not available for analysis due to many reasons, so additional biomarker may be of immense help for forensic scientists. The microbiome analysis appears to hold that promise, and several research publications are suggestive of the use of microbial fingerprint to link an individual with the object. The microbiome which is basically microbes harbouring humans is analysed using DNA tools. In microbiome analysis, the samples are subjected to DNA extraction, amplification, parallel sequencing of the 16S rRNA region and analysis. Many studies showed that the individual person has a unique microbial fingerprint which makes them distinct in the population. The microbial population could be studied to understand the geographic location, post-mortem interval application, nature of transmission and cause of death including the establishing individual identity.