Diurnal variation in the human skin microbiome affects accuracy of forensic microbiome matching.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The human skin microbiome has been recently investigated as a potential forensic tool, as people leave traces of their potentially unique microbiomes on objects and surfaces with which they interact. In this metagenomic study of four people in Hong Kong, their homes, and public surfaces in their neighbourhoods, we investigated the stability and identifiability of these microbiota traces on a timescale of hours to days.

Results

Using a Canberra distance-based method of comparing skin and surface microbiomes, we found that a person could be accurately matched to their household in 84% of tests and to their neighbourhood in 50% of tests, and that matching accuracy did not decay for household surfaces over the 10-day study period, although it did for public surfaces.

SUBMITTER: Wilkins D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8180031 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature