Skip to main content
Log in

Impact of paracetamol on Calliphora vicina larval development

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Legal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper demonstrates that blowfly larval development is slightly impacted by paracetamol if present in the rearing foodstuff particularly during days 2–4 of development. Since paracetamol and similar analgesic drugs are involved in a large number of overdose deaths each year this information is of importance where blowfly growth is used to estimate the minimum postmortem interval.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Gagliano-Candela R, Aventaggiato L (2001) The detection of toxic substances in entomological specimens. Int J Legal Med 114:197–203

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goff ML, Lord WL (2001) Entomotoxicology: insects as toxicological indicators and the impact of drugs and toxins on insect development. In: Byrd JH, Caster JL (eds) Forensic entomology. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 331–340

  • Goff ML, Omori AI, Goodbrod JR (1989) Effect of cocaine in tissues on the rate of development of Boettcherisca peregrina (Diptera: Sarchophagidae). J Med Entomol 26:91–93

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goff ML, Brown WA, Hewadikaram KA, Omori AI (1991) Effects of heroin in decomposing tissues on the development rate Boettcherisca peregrina (Diptera: Sarchophagidae) and implications of this effect on estimations of postmortem intervals using arthropod development patterns. J Forensic Sci 36:537–542

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goff ML, Brown WA, Amori II, La Pointe DA (1993) Preliminary observations of the effects of amitriptyline in decomposing tissues on the development of Parasarcophaga ruficornis (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) and implications of this effect to estimation of postmortem interval. J Forensic Sci 38:316–322

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Introna F, LoDico C, Caplan YH, Smialek JE (1990) Opiate analysis in cadaveric blowfly larvae as an indicator of narcotic intoxication. J Forensic Sci 35:118–122

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Introna F, Campobasso CP, Goff ML (2001) Entomotoxicology. Forensic Sci Int 120:42–47

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kaneshrajah G, Turner B (2004) Calliphora vicina larvae grow at different rates on different body tissues. Int J Legal Med 117: DOI 10.1007.s00414-004-0444-5

    Google Scholar 

  • Office of National Statistics (2002) National Statistics Online http://www.statistics.gov.uk

  • Pien K, Pipeleers-Marichal M, Grootaert P et al. (2003) Toxicological data and growth characteristics of single post-feeding larvae and puparia of Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) obtained from a controlled nordiazepam study. Int J Legal Med 117: DOI 10.1007.s00414-004-0441-8

    Google Scholar 

  • Sadler D, Robertson L, Fuke C, Pounder DJ (1997) Barbiturates and analgesics in Calliphora vicina larvae. J Forensic Sci 42:481–485

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wells JD, LaMotte LR (1995) estimating maggot age from weight using inverse prediction. J Forensic Sci 40:585–590

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bryan Turner.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

O’Brien, C., Turner, B. Impact of paracetamol on Calliphora vicina larval development. Int J Legal Med 118, 188–189 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-004-0440-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-004-0440-9

Keywords

Navigation