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Forensic analysis using microbial community between skin bacteria and fabrics

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Abstract

Microorganisms flourish on and in the human body and skin surfaces are the largest. The skin surface microbiota can be transferred to an object upon touch. This has forensic implications. This study explored the hypothesis that residual skin bacteria left on fabrics could be valuable for forensic analysis. A nonculture based approach was used, since it can reveal a more diverse microbiome than culture-based methods. Fabrics examined were 100% cotton, 55% cotton - 45% polyester fabric, and 100% polyester. Three volunteers firmly grasped each fabric, and the DNA of all the samples was extracted and analyzed for the 16S rRNA gene. The 454-Next generation sequencing was used to observe the microbiome community relation between the individual and the fabrics in dendrogram and PCoA graph analyses. The analyses confirmed that the touched fabrics retained microorganisms from the individual. The study reveals the potential value of the approach in forensic examinations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Science, College of Medical Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Chungnam, 31538, Republic of Korea

    So-Yeon Lee, Seung-Kyun Woo & Yong-Bin Eom

  2. Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Medical Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Chungnam, 31538, Republic of Korea

    So-Min Lee & Yong-Bin Eom

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  1. So-Yeon Lee
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  2. Seung-Kyun Woo
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  3. So-Min Lee
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  4. Yong-Bin Eom
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Correspondence to Yong-Bin Eom.

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Lee, SY., Woo, SK., Lee, SM. et al. Forensic analysis using microbial community between skin bacteria and fabrics. Toxicol. Environ. Health Sci. 8, 263–270 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13530-016-0284-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13530-016-0284-y

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