Bacteria as Normal Flora in Postmortem Body Fluid Samples

Abstract

Bacterial culture and identification are useful in the clinical and forensic field [1], although there are many concerns regarding postmortem bacterial culture and identification. Furthermore, there are no specific guidelines, recommendations, or checklists that address the standards for performing that type of testing [1]. The Human Microbiome Project has revealed that an adult body contains approximately ten times more microbial cells than human cells [2], although it is unclear what happens to these microbial cells after a person dies. During the antemortem period, the immune system ensures that bacteria are not present in most internal organs and body fluids (e.g., the blood and cerebrospinal fluid). However, the immune system fails Korean J Leg Med 2017;41:87-93 https://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2017.41.4.87