A Short Review of Forensic Microbiology

Abstract

Background: Microbial forensics is a multidisciplinary area, which has been recently considered an effective tool in forensic investigations. This growing field of forensics covers a wide spectrum of different branches of science, including biology, chemistry, physics, geology, mathematics, and computer sciences, leading to a practical approach that can be applied in several areas such as bioterrorist actions, environmental issues, emerging and reemerging diseases, as well as reliable trace evidence at a crime scene. Methods: The information has been gathered via Google Scholar using several keywords, including forensic microbiology, bioterrorism, forensic investigation, and trace evidence. The data were from reliable articles and books published over 50 years. This paper is a short review of forensic microbiology with a bioinformatics perspective to use in different fields such as the court. Results: It is known that using either microorganisms or their toxins is a low-cost potential tool with serious morbidity and mortality rates that can spread all around the world by food or water supplies or even through the air, making them a perfect candidate bioweapon with minimum traceability. Studies have indicated that environmental conditions plus biological and abiotic factors would affect the following analysis and the final validation, which is an essential step in the forensic investigation due to its highly effective role in the court vote. To face different challenges, law enforcement has the infrastructure for attribution and deterrence (e.g., following the exact microbial forensics program) so that it can be used in court. Developing more reproducible, sensitive, and accurate methods, preparing a wide reliable database, and devoting the right amount of budget will help improve the whole forensic procedure in the legal system. Conclusions: The current paper is a short review of how forensic scientists can use microbial features on a crime scene to clarify and enhance the procedure to solve different criminal cases.