<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Necrophagous insects may provide useful information about the time, place and cause of death. In addition, they can serve as reliable alternative specimens for toxicological analysis in cases where human tissue and fluids, normally taken during autopsies, are not available, due to decomposition of the corpse. This paper reports the results of drug analysis of the larvae of two fly families, Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae, collected from the body of a middle-aged man who had committed suicide approximately three weeks before his corpse was found. Multiple samples of decomposed human tissue, of the blowfly, and of the larval flesh were analysed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and amphetamine was detected in all samples. While the screening results were beyond doubt, the quantitative analysis was less clear, and further research is needed in this area.</p></abstract>

Necrophagous insects may provide useful information about the time, place and cause of death. In addition, they can serve as reliable alternative specimens for toxicological analysis in cases where human tissue and fluids, normally taken during autopsies, are not available, due to decomposition of the corpse. This paper reports the results of drug analysis of the larvae of two fly families, Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae, collected from the body of a middle-aged man who had committed suicide approximately three weeks before his corpse was found. Multiple samples of decomposed human tissue, of the blowfly, and of the larval flesh were analysed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and amphetamine was detected in all samples. While the screening results were beyond doubt, the quantitative analysis was less clear, and further research is needed in this area.

Drug Analysis in Necrophagous Flies and Human Tissues

Split University Hospital and School of Medicine, Split, Croatia

Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology

{"article-title":"Drug Analysis in Necrophagous Flies and Human Tissues"}

Necrophagous insects may provide useful information about the time, place and cause of death. In addition, they can serve as reliable alternative specimens for...

Drug Analysis in Necrophagous Flies and Human Tissues

Published Online: Oct 03, 2007

Page range: 313 - 316

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10004-007-0022-6

Keywords
amfetamini, entomotoksikologija, GC/MS, sudska medicina

This content is open access.

Drug Analysis in Necrophagous Flies and Human Tissues

Published Online: Oct 03, 2007

Page range: 313 - 316

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10004-007-0022-6

Keywordsamfetamini, entomotoksikologija, GC/MS, sudska medicina

This content is open access.

Keywords
amfetamini, entomotoksikologija, GC/MS, sudska medicina