mSphere
(Aug 2021)
A Pilot Study of Microbial Succession in Human Rib Skeletal Remains during Terrestrial Decomposition
Heather Deel,
Alexandra L. Emmons,
Jennifer Kiely,
Franklin E. Damann,
David O. Carter,
Aaron Lynne,
Rob Knight,
Zhenjiang Zech Xu,
Sibyl Bucheli,
Jessica L. Metcalf
Affiliations
Heather Deel
ORCiD Program in Cell & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
Alexandra L. Emmons
Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
Jennifer Kiely
Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas, USA
Franklin E. Damann
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory, Offutt AFB, Nebraska, USA
David O. Carter
Laboratory of Forensic Taphonomy, Forensic Sciences Unit, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Aaron Lynne
Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas, USA
Rob Knight
ORCiD Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
Zhenjiang Zech Xu
Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
Sibyl Bucheli
Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas, USA
Jessica L. Metcalf
Program in Cell & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00455-21
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6,
no. 4
Abstract
Read online
Microbes are known to facilitate vertebrate decomposition, and they can do so in a repeatable, predictable manner. The succession of microbes in the skin and associated soil can be used to predict time since death during the first few weeks of decomposition.
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