Mrs Sheree Finley
Alabama State University, USA
Title: Putrefaction inducer Proteobacteria versus Lactobacillales in cadaver gravesoil across all stages of decomposition
Biography
Biography: Mrs Sheree Finley
Abstract
The study of the postmortem microbial transformations in gravesoil has yet to be fully investigated across all steps during putrefaction. Currently, there is a need for advanced biotechnological approaches to analyze postmortem microbiology of the gravesoil from cadavers. Soil microbial studies have estimated that the number of species of bacteria per gram of soil is up to eight million depending on the soil type. The goal of the present study is to survey the microorganisms associated with cadaver gravesoil collected from the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility at Texas State University to identify predominant microbes present during the stages of decomposition. Using next-generation sequencing, (i) microbial community composition was isolated and characterized; and (ii) the microbial communities’ taxon richness was identified. The findings show that the taxa were variable and there was a decreasing trend in taxon richness, diversity and evenness over time for cadavers placed on the soil surface. The also results demonstrated that Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum in all of the cadaver soil samples. There is also a marked decrease in both acidotrophic bacteria (Acidobacteria) and edaphic verrucae (Verrucomicrobia) in the samples. These novel findings add to the notion that documenting and discovering differences in bacterial communities is crucial to advancing the knowledge of cadaver decomposition in soil. Presently, results of a metagenomic approach of this kind remain unreported and have applicability towards advancing forensic investigations and studies.