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Introducing forensic entomology in cases of suspected animal neglect
- Source :
- VETERINARY RECORD, The Veterinary Record
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Cases of arthropod-infested, abandoned or abused animals are sometimes brought to the attention of veterinarians by animal welfare authorities, with the requirement for a full postmortem examination towards criminal or civil proceedings. In these situations, entomology is an important support tool for the pathologists' investigation since the presence of arthropod life cycle stages serve as reliable forensic markers, especially for blowflies which form the first waves of activity following death. In the present study, 70 cadavers from a total of 544 referred to the Institute of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, between 2009 and 2014 displayed evidence of infestation. Here, the authors introduce principles of applied entomology and simplified approaches for estimating the minimum time since death, relevant in the context of routine submissions and the broad remit of individual cases. Despite often limited availability of scene of the crime and local thermal data, the interpretation of the minimum postmortem interval has nonetheless proved valuable as an adjunct to the expert pathology report. However, future developments and enhanced accuracy in this area of animal welfare require resource and training in expertise, and agreed standardisation of both laboratory and field procedures.
- Subjects :
- Resource (biology)
040301 veterinary sciences
3400 General Veterinary
media_common.quotation_subject
10184 Institute of Veterinary Pathology
Context (language use)
Animal Welfare
entomology
Neglect
0403 veterinary science
medicine
Animals
Humans
Forensic entomology
media_common
post mortem interval
General Veterinary
Animal Welfare (journal)
Forensic Sciences
neglect
Minimum time
forensic
pathology
0402 animal and dairy science
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
General Medicine
Pathology Report
medicine.disease
040201 dairy & animal science
England
570 Life sciences
biology
Autopsy
Medical emergency
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- VETERINARY RECORD, The Veterinary Record
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....9329d799a69a0892b75324a711beea7e