title: Differentiation between bruises and putrefactive discolorations of the skin by immunological analysis of glycophorin A.
abstract: In a differential study to distinguish bruises from putrefactive discoloration, glycophorin A, a component of the erythrocyte membrane, was extracted from discolored skins and detected by immunological methods utilizing an anti-glycophorin A serum. Skin samples of 18 bruises, 8 postmortem hypostasises and 7 putrefactive discolorations were removed from 27 bodies in which postmortem intervals ranged from 4 h to 2.5 months. In 13 out of the 18 bruises (72.2%), glycophorin A was detected by the immunological methods. It was noted that glycophorin A was detectable even in a severely putrefied body 10 days after death. In contrast, no glycophorin A was detected in any of the postmortem lividities or the putrefactive discolorations. These results suggest that the absence of glycophorin A does not always indicate a skin discoloration of postmortem origin, but a positive glycophorin A reaction does indicate a skin discoloration due to bruise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kibayashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honjyo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsunenari
mesh_terms: D003288:Contusions / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006021:Glycophorins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion / Q000379:methods; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006021:Glycophorins