Forensic Microbiology

Forensic Microbiology is an emerging division of science that is still underused in criminal investigations. Some of the cases might be challenging to solve with frequently used forensic procedures, and then they become an operational field for microbiological and mycological analyses. 

The main goals of microbial forensics are to distinguish and prioritize biological threats, identify the susceptible population, create an evidence database and develop protocols for identification which comprises determining unique genetic signs, protein signs, develop programs for confirming the validity of results and constantly bring up-to-date based on existing literature. An important role of forensic microbiology is to determine the “microbial signature” of an agent recovered in a criminal instance.

Phenotypic characteristics have been generally unreliable because they alter based on environmental conditions. Therefore, the emphasis is placed on genotype dissimilarity, such as “DNA fingerprints” and polymorphisms.

• DNA Profiling
• Forensic Age Estimation
• Forensic Engineering
• Microbial Forensics
• Forensics Investigations
• DNA & biological evidence
• DNA forensics
• Fingerprints and pattern evidence
• Trace evidence