As. Pac. J. Mol. Biol. & Biotech., April 2012 Vol. 2, 73 - 82
Molecular identification of fly maggots recovered from corpses during death scene investigation in Malaysia
Kavitha Rajagopal1, Wasi Ahmad Nazni3, Tan Tian Chye2, Lee Han Lim3* and Mohammad Sofian Azirun1
1 Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2 Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur.
3 Medical Entomology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
* Author for correspondence: Dr Lee Han Lim
Medical Entomology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Abstract.
Identification of fly maggots recovered from cadavers is crucial in determining the post-mortem interval. Morphological identification of the larvae can be difficult at times and sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA of these flies may be useful in confirming their identity. In addition, the phylogenetic relationship of these flies can be elucidated from mitochondrial DNA. In this study, partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences were used to identify forensically important blow flies recovered from corpses. The molecular identification method involved the sequencing of a 328-base pair ‘barcode’ fragment of the COI gene from 37 maggot specimens from 33 corpses in Malaysia using a neighbour-joining tree. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the presence of 5 blow fly species. C. megacephala and C. rufifacies were the major fly species found in the death scene habitats associated with urban, forested and aquatic areas in Malaysia.
