Legal Medicine 8 (2006) 188190

www.elsevier.com/locate/legalmed

Brief communication
Analysis of fungi detected in human cadavers
Kiyoshi Ishii a,*, Masahito Hitosugi b, Masahito Kido b, Takashi Yaguchi c, Kazuko Nishimura c,
Tsuyoshi Hosoya d, Shogo Tokudome b
a
Department of Biology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan
b
Department of Legal Medicine, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan
c
Chiba University Research Center for Pathogenic Fungi and Microbial Toxicoses, Chiba 260-8673, Japan
d
Department of Botany, National Science Museum, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan
Received 31 August 2005; received in revised form 8 November 2005; accepted 26 December 2005
Available online 3 March 2006

Abstract

We examined and identified fungi flora found growing on two human cadavers. The main isolate colonized on the surfaces of the skin and
bones was morphologically identified as Eurotium repens. The genus Eurotium usually inhabits soil and exhibits osmophilic properties.
Because the cadavers contained abundant organic materials, Eurotium species formed ascomata and conidia. To our knowledge, this is the
first study to describe in detail the species of fungus obtained from human cadavers. Because the detection of some species of fungus found in
human cadavers may reveal the local habits of them, more forensic cases is needed to develop fungi into the forensic tool.
q 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Fungi; Human cadaver; Postmortem interval; Forensic science

1. Introduction 2. Case reports

Because saprophagous insects, including larvae and 2.1. Case 1

adults, encroach upon unattended human cadavers, they
can be used to determine the postmortem interval [1,2]. For
this reason, forensic entomology, which identifies the
species and stages of insects, has become increasingly
important for criminal investigation [3].
Because the fungi is also appeared on the surface of
animal and human cadavers, its possibility acting as an
index for postmortem interval have been discussed [4,5].
Although several spices of fungi have been identified in
animal cadavers, taxonomical determination of species and
habits of the fungi detected in human cadavers have not
been reported.
In the present study, we examined and identified fungi
flora found growing on two human cadavers.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: C81 282 87 2118; fax: C81 282 86 7678.
E-mail address: k-ishii@dokkyomed.ac.jp (K. Ishii).
1344-6223/$ - see front matter q 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.legalmed.2005.12.006
A mummified body was found in the supine position on
the concrete floor of an abandoned house in a forest on June
27, 2004. Yellowish and white fungi were found on the front
surfaces of the chest, abdomen, and thighs (Fig. 1). At
autopsy, we found that the parenchyma of the internal
organs had completely disappeared, but dry, branch-like
vessels and leathery bands of connective tissue remained.
Police investigation suggested the body was that of a 72-
year-old man who had been missing for 10 months.
2.2. Case 2
Skeletal remains clad in a shirt and pants were found in a
forest on November 10, 2004. Near the remains, a rope was
found hanging from a tree branch, tied at a height 2.8 m.
Yellowish and white fungi were found on the surfaces of the
right scapula, right pubic bone, and acetabulum.
 K. Ishii et al. / Legal Medicine 8 (2006) 188190 189

Fig. 1. Holomorph of Eurotium repens, which colonized the surface of the mummified body.

Anthropologic examination suggested the remains were of a were morphologically identified by an anamorphic stage (or
man aged 5060 years who had hung himself at least 6 aspergilla or conidiogeneses) with light microscopy and by
months earlier. ascospores with scanning electron microscopy.

3. Materials and methods 4. Results and discussion

Two media, 1/4PDA (Difco, Detroit, MI) and MY20A
(20% glucose, 0.5% peptone, 0.3% yeast extract, 0.3% malt
extract, and 2% agar), were used for analysis. Chloramphe-
nicol (50 mg/ml) was added to each medium to inhibit
bacterial growth. The mycelia collected from both cadavers
were transplanted to the media with sterilized needles and
cultured at 25 8C. After 7 days incubation, the mycelia were
transplanted to slant media. Furthermore, the ascocarps that
had formed on the pelvis in Section 2.2 were sterilized with
a 5% chloride solution and placed in the media. The isolates
The isolates were identified as Eurotium repens and
Eurotium rubrum in Section 2.1 [6]. A teleomorphic stage of
E. repens formed yellowish ascomata (Fig. 2A), and an
anamorphic stage of E. repens, called as Aspergillus repens,
formed whitish conidia (Fig. 2B). In Section 2.2, E. repens,
Eurotium chevalieri, and Gliocladium sp. were detected on
the surfaces of bones. Of these species, E. repens was most
numerous.
Entomological evidence is most often used for estimating
the postmortem interval. Because the fly larvae are the first

Fig. 2. Microscopic findings of E. repens, which colonized the surface of the mummified body: (A) teleomorphic stage and (B) anamorphic stage.
190 K. Ishii et al. / Legal Medicine 8 (2006) 188190
insects to colonize decomposing remains, the morphologi-
cal identification of their species and stage of maggots by
the expert entomologists are necessary for determining the
time since death [7]. Although the fungi have often been
appeared on human and animal cadavers, forensic scientists
little attend on them. Therefore, we focused on the fungi
found in human cadavers.
For the detail examination, as Bunyard suggested, exact
identification of fungi species was made by analysis of
sexual or asexual reproductive structures by expert
mycologists [5]. In accordance with the methods mentioned
above, we isolated several species of fungus from the human
cadaver and the human skeletal remains. In our case, E.
repens, which had colonized on the surfaces of the skin and
bones, was the dominant species. The genus Eurotium
usually inhabits soil and exhibits osmophilic properties.
Since the human cadavers contain abundant organic
materials, Eurotium species formed ascomata and conidia.
Forensic pathologists have often observed fungi on the
surface of the human cadavers found in a dry environment
[8]. However, the species of the fungi in human cadavers
have not previously been determined. Because the detection
of some species of fungus found in human cadavers may
reveal the local habits of them, more forensic cases is
needed to develop fungi into the forensic tool.
Acknowledgements
This study was partly supported by Cooperative
Research Program of Research Center for Pathogenic
Fungi and Microbial Toxicoses, Chiba University (05-27).
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