How body temperature affects the detection of drugs in blowfly larvae
Loading...
Authors
Grilli, Nova
Issue Date
2012
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Forensic science
Alternative Title
Abstract
What would your first thought about insects be? Most likely the first thought is creepy and disgusting little bugs, but many do not know insects have a vital importance in forensic science. Entomology is the use of insects in forensic science. One way entomology is used is to determine the post mortem interval or PMI. Another dimension to entomology uses insect larvae to detect drugs and other toxins when the body is so badly decomposed that, no body fluids and organs are present. This is called entomotoxicology which can help determine cause and time of death. One of the most popular insect larvae used in forensics are different species of the Blowfly. There are a thousand different species of the Blowfly and each has established their own ecology and all can be used to detect drugs and toxins. There are many factors that influence the detection of drugs and toxins, such as the type of drug, the ecology of the blowfly and temperature of the decedent’s body. In this paper I will focus specifically on how body temperature will affect the detection of specific drugs in the blowfly specie of Calliphora vicina.