Entomotoxicology: A review.

ABSTRACT

Entomotoxicology is the analysis of toxins in arthropods (mainly flies and beetles) that feed on carrion. Careful analyses of the community of insects encountered on a decomposing body, combined with knowledge of insect biology, ecology, and local environmental conditions can often provide valuable forensic insights. These can include the estimation of time since death, movement of the remains after death, indication of ante mortem injuries, and the presence of drugs or toxins. The accuracy of entomological estimates in deaths involving narcotic intoxication has been subject to debate in recent years as few available studies have explored the effects of drugs contained in decomposing tissues on fly colonization and ovipositional behavior, or on the rates of development of carrion-frequenting insects feeding on such food sources. Additionally, relatively few studies have examined the effects of other tissue contaminants, such as toxins or environmental pollutants, on these behaviors and/or the developmental patterns of the insects colonizing such tissues. Studies of the use of carrion-feeding arthropods as alternative toxicological specimens and of the impact that tissue toxins and contaminants have on the development of immature insects feeding on these substances currently comprise the major avenues of exploration in the emerging field of entomotoxicology