The epinecrotic microbiome, comprising diverse microbial communities colonizing cadaveric tissues during postmortem decomposition, presents a complex ecosystem of critical importance for forensic investigations. Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) functions as a key ecosystem engineer within this microbial environment, inducing profound alterations in community structure and function. This study addresses the impacts of L. sericata on postmortem microbial dynamics and their implications for forensic science. L. sericata assumes a fundamental microbial vector role by introducing exogenous bacterial taxa from dominant phyla including Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes into cadaveric environments during oviposition and larval colonization processes. Larval feeding behaviors exert selective pressure on microbial communities, particularly through secretion of lucifensin-like antimicrobial peptides that suppress Gram-positive bacteria while promoting the proliferation of Gram-negative species. Larval masses exhibiting intensive metabolic activity generate localized physicochemical gradients through ammonia production, resulting in oxygen depletion and pH elevation, thereby facilitating anaerobic bacterial proliferation and accelerating enzymatic decomposition processes. Furthermore, larvae employing extraintestinal digestion strategies through proteolytic enzyme secretion generate readily available nutrients for microbial growth, consequently shaping community metabolism and succession dynamics. Symbiotic associations established with specific bacterial genera such as Wohlfahrtiimonas and Ignatzschineria further exemplify the complex cross-kingdom interactions governing decomposition ecology. Ultimately, larval activities and microbial metabolism generate characteristic volatile organic compound profiles that function as distinctive chemical signatures for postmortem interval estimation and cadaver detection. Understanding L. sericata-mediated microbial modulation represents a critical frontier in forensic microbiology, offering novel biomarkers for postmortem interval determination and enabling enhanced comprehension of thanatomicrobiome dynamics. This integrative approach, bridging forensic entomology and microbiology, advances both theoretical understanding and practical applications in medico-legal death investigations.
Nevra Polat (Sun,) studied this question.