A Sensitive and Time-Saving Method for the Diagnosis of Drowning by Multiplex PCR.

Abstract

For diagnosing death due to drowning, the method of acid digestion of diatoms is widely used to detect plankton in the organs of the corpse. However, the method is limited by its being complex, hazardous, time-consuming, and insufficiently sensitive. We therefore, developed a novel simple method to diagnose death due to drowning, and determined the location of drowning by detecting genes of representative bacteria in the environment. To procure all the information in one step, the multiplex PCR method was designed. For the diagnosis of drowning, the genes of upper respiratory indigenous bacteria, Streptococcus salivarius and Streptococcus sanguinis were used as indicators. For detection of the location of drowning, Aeromonas hydrophila and Microcystis aeruginosa were used as indicators of freshwater, and Vibrio harveyi as an indicator of seawater. A set of primers was designed for multiplex PCR. to amplify all the bacterial genes simultaneously. Using this method, 47 cases of drowning were examined, and the causes and locations of death were diagnosed.