Development and standardization of a microalgae test for determining deaths by drowning

DIAZ PALMA, P.; ALUCEMA, A.; HAYASHIDA, G. M.; MAIDANA, N. I.

FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL.

ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD

Año: 2009 vol. 187 p. 37 - 41

0379-0738

The diatom test for the diagnosis of drowning is widely used in countries of the Northern Hemisphere such as France and Japan. In Latin America, however, it has not been adopted as a routine procedure in forensic autopsies. In aquatic ecosystems, dinoflagellates and some chlorophyceans are microalgae that, like diatoms, have cell walls and other resistant structures. As a result, they can be found in tissues from drowning victims, which is important because diatoms may be rare under particular environmental conditions. On this basis, we propose to extend the "diatom test" to include other microalgae for the determination of death by drowning.