Preliminary Identification of fungi presenting on the surface of decomposing porcine heads

Presenter(s): Jennifer Nelson

Faculty Mentor(s): Jeanne McLaughlin

Poster 24

Session: Sciences

Taphonomy is the study of events and processes that affect remains of an organism after death. It is an essential component of medico-legal death investigations and can be used to reconstruct the events leading up to the death as well as time since death. Although fungus is a known decomposer, very little research has been published in relation to the identification and morphology of fungi found on decomposing flesh, which is a potential source of data for estimation of PMI (post mortem interval). The purpose of this study is to identify and indicate the morphology of the fungi found on three Sus scrofa (pig) heads, as pigs are a commonly used proxy for human cadavers in the field of forensic taphonomy. Skin samples with visible fungal growth were taken from the heads of three separate pigs in the same outdoor enclosure, however, each head has exposure to differing amounts of sunlight. Methodology for identification includes culture media for growth and microscopic examination to identify and compare morphological features. The identification of numerous different fungi and growth patterns on decomposing flesh may be useful as an independent line of evidence for establishing PMI and gain ecological information regarding a scene. There has been limited attempts to identify saprophytic fungi on decomposing flesh, and none to this researcher’s knowledge in the Pacific Northwest. This study attempts to identify potentially significant species for further study.

Primary results pending.

Primary conclusion pending.

Significance pending.