Forensic Microbiology

For the purposes of this Chapter forensic microbiology is defined as the discipline of applying scientific methods to the analysis of microbiological evidence in criminal and civil cases for investigative purposes. The same methods and approaches developed for this field also can serve as diagnostic tools for detection of causative pathogens in determining, for example, cause of death. The recent technologic advancements in microbiome research have brought new importance to modern forensic microbiology. As seen with the human microbiome project (HMP), these high-resolution and big data solutions have promoted vigorous research and applications in the broad subfield in forensics and legal medicine. These extraordinary tools of today bring capabilities that a short time ago were unthinkable.