title: Blowfly Larval Tissues as a Secondary Detector for Determining Paraquat-Related Death in Rabbit Carcass.
abstract: Paraquat poisoning is commonly associated with suicide or homicide in Malaysia. In a case involving advanced body decomposition, pathological analysis regarding the cause of death may become difficult or almost impossible. Insects serve as common alternative matrix for poison detection in forensic analysis. Paraquat detection via secondary bioaccumulation in fly larvae tissue has never been reported. In this study, tissues from blowfly larvae collected from a rabbit carcass with paraquat poisoning were analyzed for secondary bioaccumulation. Larvae samples were collected and analyzed using liquid-liquid extraction. The detection was performed via reduction of quaternary ammonium presence in paraquat and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with selected ion monitoring mode (SIM mode). GC-MS showed the elution of reduced paraquat was at retention time 12.8 min. Blowfly larvae tissue has proven useful as a secondary detector in paraquat-related deaths.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kuchig, Sarawak, 94300, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Vannessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lawai
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. Kuchig, Sarawak, 94300, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nor Aliza
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Abdul Rahim
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kuchig, Sarawak, 94300, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Zainab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ngaini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004175:Diptera / Q000737:chemistry*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006540:Herbicides / Q000032:analysis / Q000506:poisoning*; D007814:Larva / Q000737:chemistry*; D010269:Paraquat / Q000032:analysis / Q000506:poisoning*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D006540:Herbicides; D010269:Paraquat
keywords: blowflies; entomotoxicology; forensic science; gas chromatography-mass spectrometer; paraquat; poisoning