title: Evaluation of two methods for the use of diatoms in drowning cases.
abstract: In this study, we compare digestive methods used in a forensic context to extract diatoms (37 % hydrochloric acid) to a method recently described in Italian protocols for analysis of benthic diatoms for ecological assessment of surface water (hydrogen peroxide digestion). The two digestive methods were performed using 5 g of brain, lung, liver, kidney, and bone marrow taken from the bodies of 10 drowning victims recovered from three different aquatic environments (ocean, lakes, and rivers). Postmortem examination was performed on all bodies, but aquatic samples were only analyzed in two cases. Tissue digestion was equal by both methods. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) digestion resulted in better diatom preservation, enabling identification of nine genera in all samples examined versus three obtained using hydrochloride digestion. The ideal digestive method to provide evidence for corroboration of a diagnosis of drowning still needs to be established. However, the benthic diatoms protocol can be useful because it is less chemically hazardous to the laboratory operator and supports better diatom preservation for reliable taxonomic analysis.
authors.affiliation: Section of Legal Medicine, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito, 1, 00168, Rome, Italy. nadiafucci@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fucci
authors.affiliation: Section of Legal Medicine, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito, 1, 00168, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Pascali
authors.affiliation: Environment and Primary Prevention Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Puccinelli
authors.affiliation: Environment and Primary Prevention Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marcheggiani
authors.affiliation: Environment and Primary Prevention Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.affiliation: Section of Legal Medicine, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito, 1, 00168, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marchetti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000737:chemistry; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D017377:Diatoms / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004332:Drowning / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D044707:Forensic Sciences / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry; D060106:Lakes; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D045483:Rivers; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid
keywords: Analytical protocol; Cadaveric specimens; Diatoms; Drowning; Forensic investigation; Post-mortem