title: PCR-based identification of drowning: four case reports.
abstract: Proper diagnosis in drowning victims is often difficult due to the lack of signs specific to drowning. The diatom test is a widely used procedure for the diagnosis. Some types of water contain only minimal amounts of diatom cells which may provide false-negative results, while a negative diatom test result does not exclude drowning. In proving drowning, we used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based biological method in addition to the conventional methods. DNA was extracted from postmortem spleen tissues and water of the drowning site. Samples were tested with algae (diatoms and small green algae)- and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)-specific primers. We present here multiple drowning cases in which diatom tests of the postmortem tissue samples and the water were negative. In each case, the presence of phytoplanktonic DNA strengthened the autopsy diagnosis of drowning even in the absence of visible diatoms. In the future, the PCR method may be of consideration as a possible supplement of the diatom test in the examination of presumed drowning cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, 12 Szigeti Street, Pécs, 7624, Hungary.
authors.forename: Evelin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rácz
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, 12 Szigeti Street, Pécs, 7624, Hungary.
authors.forename: Franciska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Könczöl
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, 12 Szigeti Street, Pécs, 7624, Hungary.
authors.forename: Dénes
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tóth
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, 12 Szigeti Street, Pécs, 7624, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Patonai
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, 12 Szigeti Street, Pécs, 7624, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Porpáczy
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, 12 Szigeti Street, Pécs, 7624, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kozma
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, 12 Szigeti Street, Pécs, 7624, Hungary.
authors.forename: Viktor S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Poór
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, 12 Szigeti Street, Pécs, 7624, Hungary. katalin.sipos@aok.pte.hu.
authors.forename: Katalin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sipos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017377:Diatoms / Q000235:genetics*; D004332:Drowning / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
keywords: Cyanobacteria; DNA; Diatom; Drowning; Forensic biology; Polymerase chain reaction