<br/>  Microbial communities, or microbiomes, are known to aggregate in the human gut.  However, recent studies have shown that bacteria can also be found on the surface of the human skin and can leave an individual-specific signature.  Through a genomic system, scientist have found a way to assist in the identification of a home invader by studying the microbiome of the suspected culprit’s skin.  This bacterial signature will allow researchers to build a database of dominate bacteria found in the most common places amongst humans to further assist in efforts to solve home invasions.  If the human skin microbiome can identify an individual, then we can identify whether an intruder was present during a home invasion.  In a home invasion stimulation, the microbiome of homes with and without the presence of a “burglar” were compared to identify disturbances and variances microbial communities.  The analyzed data may assist in efforts to prove that microbial signatures of suspected individuals can be used as trace evidence, as an alternative to DNA.<br/>

Forensic study: Differentiating and analyzing variances using microbiota to investigate home invasions

255th National Meeting (2018)

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