Journal of Pathogen Research

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Diatom Test Journals

The diatom test is widely employed by forensic pathologists as proof of drowning, notwithstanding some criticisms mainly concerning the occurrence of false-positive results (presence of diatoms within the tissues of subjects who died from causes other than drowning). The aim of this study was to verify the claimed inaccuracy of the tactic caused by an excessive rate of false-positives associated with inadvertent exposure to diatoms of the general population. The study was administered to research the presence of diatoms within the tissues (lungs and sternum) of subjects who died from causes aside from drowning.

Two groups of cadavers that underwent an autopsy at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University of Verona were included in the study. Group A comprised 45 individuals who died from causes aside from drowning, whereas B comprised 20 bodies which had been recovered from water. The extraction of the diatoms was performed by incubation of samples in aqua fortis for 48 hours at 60°C. The analysis of the samples from A showed the absence of diatoms in both lung and sternum samples. In B all lung samples showed the presence of diatoms, whereas only six sternum samples were shown to contain diatoms.

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