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Detection of fly artifacts from four species of necrophagous flies on household materials using immunoassays

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Abstract

An immunoassay was previously developed as a technique to improve methods for detection and analysis of fly artifacts found at crime scenes. The dot blot assay utilized a polyclonal antiserum (anti-md3) based on a unique digestive cathepsin D found in cyclorrhaphous Diptera. In this study, artifacts produced by adults of Calliphora vicina, Cynomya cadaverina, Sarcophaga bullata, and Protophormia terraenovae were examined using the immunoassay to determine if insect-derived stains could be distinguished from a range of human body fluid stains. A lift technique was developed which permitted transfer of fly artifacts from test materials to filter paper for dot blot analyses. All species readily deposited artifacts on all test household materials regardless of diet consumed. Despite differences in texture and porosity of the household materials, artifacts of all species transferred to the filter paper. With all fly species, anti-md3 serum bound to artifacts produced after feeding on semen, blood, feces, urine, and saliva. By contrast, anti-md3 serum did not react with any of the human fluids tested, nor with any of the lifts from household materials not exposed to flies. There was no evidence of false positives with any of the fly species tested, regardless of diet consumed. There was also no indication of false negatives with any of the dot blot assays. These observations suggest that immunoassays using anti-md3 serum performed on a simple lift of suspected fly artifacts can be used effectively as a confirmatory assay to distinguish fly regurgitate and fecal stains from human body fluids.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Brian Martin from Carpets by Martin (Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, USA) for generously providing some of the carpet samples used in this study. This project was supported by Award No. 2016-DN-BX-0181, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Loyola University Maryland, 4501 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21210, USA

    David B. Rivers, Gregory Cavanagh, Valerie Greisman, Rebecca Brogan & Andrew Schoeffield

  2. Forensic Studies Program, Loyola University Maryland, 4501 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21210, USA

    David B. Rivers & Valerie Greisman

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  1. David B. Rivers
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  2. Gregory Cavanagh
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  3. Valerie Greisman
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  4. Rebecca Brogan
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Correspondence to David B. Rivers.

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Rivers, D.B., Cavanagh, G., Greisman, V. et al. Detection of fly artifacts from four species of necrophagous flies on household materials using immunoassays. Int J Legal Med 134, 1239–1253 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-019-02159-1

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