11 – Microbial Forensics

Publisher Summary Microbial forensics is the focusing of microbiology, virology, biochemistry, and molecular biology for use in environmental forensic investigations. Microbial forensics provides a means by which a microbial signature is used to trace a contaminant source, similar to the use of DNA in criminal forensics. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the relationship between soils and microbial forensics, which represent the most common media from which microbial samples are obtained; to present an overview of emerging microbial techniques (DNA fingerprinting) available to identify the source and potentially the age of a contaminant release, and, to focus on traditional microbial techniques available to trace specific microbial source and to use the changes recorded in microbial community to possibly track contamination. The basic requirements for a forensic technique, such as robustness and reproducibility, are demonstrated in numerous environmental-based studies. Molecular tools for soil analysis offer the significant advantage of using equipment and concepts that are already available and in use in most forensic DNA laboratories worldwide. Such techniques can provide the basis for developing innovative forensic methods tracking the migration of a contaminant through the soil or any other environment and for identifying the source and possible the age of contamination.