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Article
The genital microbiome and its potential for detecting sexual assault
Forensic Science International: Genetics
  • Mirna Ghemrawi, Florida International University
  • Andrea Ramírez Torres, Florida International University
  • George Duncan, Nova Southeastern University
  • Rita Colwell, University of Maryland at College Park
  • Manoj Dadlani, CosmosID
  • Bruce McCord, Florida International University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2021
Keywords
  • Genital microbiome,
  • Sexual assault,
  • Whole shotgun sequencing,
  • Microbial signature
Disciplines
Abstract

Since its inception, the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) has provided key discoveries that can be applied to forensics, in addition to those of obvious medical value. Whether for postmortem interval estimation, geolocation, or human identification, there are many applications of the microbiome as an investigative lead for forensic casework. The human skin microbiome has shown great potential for use in studies of transfer and human identification, however there has been little focus on the genital microbiome, in particular penile skin which differs from other body sites. Our preliminary data on both the penile and vaginal microbiome demonstrates potential value in cases of sexual assault. In this study we describe genital microbial signatures based on the analysis of five male and five female genital samples and compare these results to those from longitudinal studies. Selected taxa, e.g., Gardnerella, Lactobacilli, Finegoldia, Peptoniphilus , and Anaerococci, are shown to be candidate constituents of the genital microbiome that merit investigation for use in sexual assault casework.

Comments

© 2020 Elsevier B.V.

ORCID ID
0000-0002-4931-5316
DOI
10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102432
Citation Information
Mirna Ghemrawi, Andrea Ramírez Torres, George Duncan, Rita Colwell, et al.. "The genital microbiome and its potential for detecting sexual assault" Forensic Science International: Genetics Vol. 51 (2021) p. 102432 ISSN: 1872-4973
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/george-duncan/33/