Characterization of Bacterial and Fungal Communities Associated with Corpse Decomposition Using Next Generation Sequencing

Due to advances in culture-independent DNA methods and sequencing technologies, recent research has revealed that microbial communities are quantifiable and predictable across habitats such as the human mouth and skin and soil. Taking advantage of 16S (bacteria) and 18S (fungal) ribosomal gene sequencing and computational pipelines, the researchers aim to characterize the succession of bacterial and fungal communities during the decomposition of corpses, and to test whether corpse decomposition leads to distinct microbial signatures in grave-associated soils. ca/ncf