Human decomposition is a complex and variable process influenced by innumerable factors such as the weather, innate microbiome, environmental microbes, and a myriad of other factors. The purpose of this study is to illuminate how the aforementioned factors influence necrobiome succession and how it relates to postmortem interval through the use of buccal swab and muscle tissue sampling from the arm (deltoid) and thigh (vastus lateralis). The use of muscle tissue samples is a novel means to study bacterial succession during human decomposition. Utilization of 16s rRNA sequencing provided information used to assess the overall diversity and variability of the necrobiome community composition over the course of the decomposition process for three donors. Human remains were donated to Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST) through the Northern Michigan University Body Donation Program. Analysis of the results using next generation metagenomic sequencing successfully showed patterns relating to time, temperature, accumulated degree-days, bacterial markers for sample site location, bacterial markers for donor identification, and as a whole, potential indications of postmortem interval.
","abstract_html":"<p>Human decomposition is a complex and variable process influenced by innumerable factors such as the weather, innate microbiome, environmental microbes, and a myriad of other factors. The purpose of this study is to illuminate how the aforementioned factors influence necrobiome succession and how it relates to postmortem interval through the use of buccal swab and muscle tissue sampling from the arm (deltoid) and thigh (vastus lateralis). The use of muscle tissue samples is a novel means to study bacterial succession during human decomposition. Utilization of 16s rRNA sequencing provided information used to assess the overall diversity and variability of the necrobiome community composition over the course of the decomposition process for three donors. Human remains were donated to Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST) through the Northern Michigan University Body Donation Program. Analysis of the results using next generation metagenomic sequencing successfully showed patterns relating to time, temperature, accumulated degree-days, bacterial markers for sample site location, bacterial markers for donor identification, and as a whole, potential indications of postmortem interval.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wacker, Anna"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Josh Sharp"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:24:17Z","subjects":["Necrobiome","human decomposition","FROST","Microbiology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/683","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Josh Sharp"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wacker, Anna"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-06-09T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Necrobiome","human decomposition","FROST","Microbiology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/683"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Human decomposition is a complex and variable process influenced by innumerable factors such as the weather, innate microbiome, environmental microbes, and a myriad of other factors. The purpose of this study is to illuminate how the aforementioned factors influence necrobiome succession and how it relates to postmortem interval through the use of buccal swab and muscle tissue sampling from the arm (deltoid) and thigh (vastus lateralis). The use of muscle tissue samples is a novel means to study bacterial succession during human decomposition. Utilization of 16s rRNA sequencing provided information used to assess the overall diversity and variability of the necrobiome community composition over the course of the decomposition process for three donors. Human remains were donated to Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST) through the Northern Michigan University Body Donation Program. Analysis of the results using next generation metagenomic sequencing successfully showed patterns relating to time, temperature, accumulated degree-days, bacterial markers for sample site location, bacterial markers for donor identification, and as a whole, potential indications of postmortem interval.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Necrobiome Succession in Muscle Tissue as a Potential Indicator of Postmortem Interval"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Josh Sharp"],"dc:creator":["Wacker, Anna"],"dc:date.available":["2026-06-09T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Human decomposition is a complex and variable process influenced by innumerable factors such as the weather, innate microbiome, environmental microbes, and a myriad of other factors. The purpose of this study is to illuminate how the aforementioned factors influence necrobiome succession and how it relates to postmortem interval through the use of buccal swab and muscle tissue sampling from the arm (deltoid) and thigh (vastus lateralis). The use of muscle tissue samples is a novel means to study bacterial succession during human decomposition. Utilization of 16s rRNA sequencing provided information used to assess the overall diversity and variability of the necrobiome community composition over the course of the decomposition process for three donors. Human remains were donated to Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST) through the Northern Michigan University Body Donation Program. Analysis of the results using next generation metagenomic sequencing successfully showed patterns relating to time, temperature, accumulated degree-days, bacterial markers for sample site location, bacterial markers for donor identification, and as a whole, potential indications of postmortem interval.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/683"],"dc:subject":["Necrobiome","human decomposition","FROST","Microbiology"],"dc:title":["Necrobiome Succession in Muscle Tissue as a Potential Indicator of Postmortem Interval"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:24:17Z"}