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Article
Open AccessCatch me if you can—emission patterns of human bodies in relation to postmortem changes
The present study examines for the first time the emission patterns and olfactory signatures of 9 complete human corpses of different stages of decomposition. Air sampling was performed inside the body bags wi...
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Article
Open AccessEstablishment of a multiplex PCR-CE assay for the simultaneous and rapid analysis of age markers for Calliphora vicina pupae
Insects, especially blow flies, are forensically relevant to determine the minimal postmortem interval (PMImin), based on the fact that they are usually the first colonisers of a body. By estimating the age of im...
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Article
Multimethod combination for age estimation of Sarcophaga peregrina (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) with implications for estimation of the postmortem interval
Sarcophaga peregrina (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) is a forensically important flesh fly with potential value for estimating the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). Here, the developmental ...
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Article
Open AccessA standard protocol for the analysis of postmortem muscle protein degradation: process optimization and considerations for the application in forensic PMI estimation
The analysis of postmortem protein degradation has become of large interest for the estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI). Although several techniques have been published in recent years, protein degrada...
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Article
Open AccessCuticular hydrocarbons for the identification and geographic assignment of empty puparia of forensically important flies
Research in social insects has shown that hydrocarbons on their cuticle are species-specific. This has also been proven for Diptera and is a promising tool for identifying important fly taxa in Forensic Entomo...
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Article
Open AccessIt is all about the insects: a retrospective on 20 years of forensic entomology highlights the importance of insects in legal investigations
This study highlights the importance of insect evidence by evaluating 949 insect-associated cases, including 139 entomological reports, from 2001 to 2019 at the Institute of Legal Medicine Frankfurt/Germany. W...
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Article
Open AccessAge determination of the adult blow fly Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) through quantitative pteridine fluorescence analysis
Determination of a minimal postmortem interval via age estimation of necrophagous diptera has been restricted to the juvenile stages and the time until emergence of the adult fly, i.e. up until 2–6 weeks depen...
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Article
Open AccessA field study to evaluate PMI estimation methods for advanced decomposition stages
Estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the major tasks and a continuous challenge in forensic pathology. It is often an exclusion process of available methods, which ultimately can lead to an unsat...
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Article
An empirical comparison of decomposition and fly colonisation of concealed carcasses in the Old and New World
The level of exposure or concealment of a cadaver is known to have an important impact on insect colonisation and decomposition but has been the subject of few investigations. In the present study, 30 pig carc...
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Article
Decomposition and insect colonization patterns of pig cadavers lying on forest soil and suspended above ground
Hanging is one of the most common methods of suicide, and, although it is known that decomposition and patterns of insect fauna colonization of hanging cadavers differ from those of cadavers decomposing on the...
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Article
Environmental factors influencing flight activity of forensically important female blow flies in Central Europe
In forensic entomology, evaluation of a possible delay between a person’s death and insect colonization is crucial. We monitored the seasonal flight activities of the most abundant blow flies in an urban habit...
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Article
Correction to: Myiasis in humans—a global case report evaluation and literature analysis
It was brought to the authors’ attention that a citation within the published article was cited incorrectly.
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Article
Myiasis in humans—a global case report evaluation and literature analysis
Myiasis refers to the infestation of living humans and vertebrates with fly larvae that feed on necrotic or vital tissue of the host. Since the invasion of new fly species in Europe is currently being observed...
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Article
Open AccessBionomics of the oriental latrine fly Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae): temporal fluctuation and reproductive potential
Chrysomya megacephala is a blow fly species of medical and forensic importance worldwide. Understanding its bionomics is essential for both designing effective fly control programs and its use in forensic investi...
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Article
Same, same but different!—matching entomological traces to a human food source by stable isotope analysis
Blow flies are important tools in forensic entomology, as they feed and develop on human bodies. This fact can be used to estimate the minimum post mortem interval (PMImin), by classifying the age of the immature...
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Article
Species diversity and tissue specific dispersal of necrophagous Diptera on human bodies
In forensic entomology, many studies analyze fly activity and succession on dead bodies by using pig cadavers and a variety of small baited traps. Data on real human bodies are very rare. To address this short...
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Article
Multispecies blow fly myiasis combined with hypothermia in a man assumed to be dead
We describe the case of a man who was found with severe hypothermia and advanced myiasis involving five species of blow flies, which eventually led to a transtibial amputation of the man’s right leg. A case of...
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Article
Open AccessWing morphometrics as a tool in species identification of forensically important blow flies of Thailand
Correct species identification of blow flies is a crucial step for understanding their biology, which can be used not only for designing fly control programs, but also to determine the minimum time since death...
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Article
Application of DNA barcoding for identifying forensically relevant Diptera from northern Thailand
In recent decades, forensic entomology has become a useful tool in criminal investigations all over the world. Species-specific identification of flies plays an important role in this field and is obligatory f...
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Article
Descriptive analyses of differentially expressed genes during larval development of Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae)
The analysis of insect evidence is often used in death investigations as the development of necrophagous insect species can be used to determine a minimum post-mortem interval (PMImin). Usually, the PMImin est...
