Sequencing technologies in forensic microbiology: current trends and advancements

Forensic microbiology is a subject of interest and research development across the forensic community. Studies of pathogen outbreaks, biocrime or bioterrorism attacks, and analyses of crime scenes fall within this field. Significant progress has been made in evolving DNA sequencing technologies in recent decades. These newly emerged transformative tools have become available to both biomedicine and forensics. Based on the published literature, this review provides an overview of the current trends and developments of NGS (next-generation sequencing) technologies applied to forensic microbiology. These new methods present numerous advantages over traditional sequencing technology and are useful in several practical applications within this forensic field. This article then examines the main challenges and limitations of this technology in forensics, providing a comprehensive review of NGS technology capabilities in expanding the precision and effectiveness of microbial forensic investigations—with the aim of inspiring scientists, forensic experts, lawyers, public health professionals, and policymakers alike to approach this newly powerful sequencing tool appropriately.

Palavras-chave

Bioterrorism Crime/death scene Epidemiology Forensic applications Microbial communities Microbial forensics Next-generation sequencing

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/30534

Citação

Oliveira, M., Marszałek, K., Kowalski, M., Frolova, A., Łabaj, P. P., Branicki, W., Madureira-Carvalho, Á., da Silva, D. D., & Dinis-Oliveira, R. J. (2024). Sequencing technologies in forensic microbiology: Current trends and advancements. Forensic Sciences, 4(4), 523–545. https://doi.org/10.3390/forensicsci4040035

Editora

MDPI

DOI

10.3390/forensicsci4040035

Coleções

ESS - CISA - Artigos
ESS - FAR - Artigos

Licença CC

cclicense-by

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