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Review
. 2025 Mar;21(1):417-429.
doi: 10.1007/s12024-024-00830-7. Epub 2024 Jun 15.

Microbial genomics: a potential toolkit for forensic investigations

Pooja Tripathi  1 , Riya Render  2 , Sweta Nidhi  2 , Vijay Tripathi  3
Affiliations
Review

Microbial genomics: a potential toolkit for forensic investigations

Pooja Tripathi et al. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Microbial forensics is a new discipline of science that analyzes evidence related to biological crime through the uniqueness and abundance of microorganisms and their toxins. Microorganisms remain alive longer than any other trace of biological evidence, such as DNA, fingerprints, and fibers, because of the protective cell membrane or capsules. Microbiological research has opened up various possibilities for forensic investigations of microbial flora. Current molecular technologies, including DNA sequencing, whole-genome sequencing, metagenomics, DNA fingerprinting, and molecular phylogeny, provide valid results for forensic investigations. Recent advancements in genome sequencing technologies, genetic data generation, and bioinformatic tools have significantly improved microbial sampling methods and forensic analyses. In this review, we discuss the applications of microbial genomic tools and technologies in forensic investigations, including human identification, geolocation, and causes of death.

Keywords: Genome sequencing; Microbial forensic; Microbial genomics; Microbiome.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: NA. Author’s consent: All authors are approving this manuscript. Competing interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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