Usefulness of Microbiome for Forensic Geolocation: A Review
Christian Haarkötter,
María Saiz,
Xiomara Gálvez,
María Isabel Medina-Lozano,
Juan Carlos Álvarez,
José Antonio Lorente
Affiliations
Christian Haarkötter
Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
María Saiz
Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
Xiomara Gálvez
Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
María Isabel Medina-Lozano
Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
Juan Carlos Álvarez
Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
José Antonio Lorente
Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
Forensic microbiomics is a promising tool for crime investigation. Geolocation, which connects an individual to a certain place or location by microbiota, has been fairly well studied in the literature, and several applications have been found. The aim of this review is to highlight the main findings in this field, including the current sample storage, DNA extraction, sequencing and data analysis techniques that are being used, and its potential applications in human trafficking and ancient DNA studies. Second, the challenges and limitations of forensic microbiomics and geolocation are emphasised, providing recommendations for the establishment of this tool in the forensic science community.
