Forensic Microbiology: A Review of an Undiscovered Realm of Forensic Medicine

Abstract Forensic microbiology is an emerging field in forensic science, which explores ideas and methods based on microbiology in the context of legal matters. Forensic microbiology uses the microbiological evidence to add value to criminal investigations and court cases. While forensic microbiology is an under-utilized resource, we posit that for ANY forensic medicine case, it has the potential to be useful. A systematic review of the methods, scope, and values of forensic microbiology is completed to highlight the field’s potential to revolutionize the forensic science. The review provides a comprehensive discussion of methods, challenges and opportunities in forensic microbiology and discusses additional recent, relevant studies and important case studies, and how microbial forensics interfaces with other forensic science disciplines.