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Animals
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Veterinary Forensic Medicine and Forensic Science in Veterinary Practice
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Veterinary Forensic Medicine and Forensic Science in Veterinary Practice

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Clinical Studies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 26741

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giuseppe Piegari

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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 84091 Naples, Italy
Interests: veterinary forensic medicine; veterinary pathology; environmental diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Davide De Biase

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, 80137 Naples, Italy
Interests: veterinary pathology; veterinary forensic pathology; domestic and laboratory animal pathology; comparative medicine; environmental diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jason W. Brooks

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Forensic Science Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Interests: veterinary forensic pathology; forensic science; veterinary pathology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Veterinary forensic medicine is a young branch of veterinary medicine that studies the applications of veterinary medical science to legal settings. The range of interests of veterinary forensic medicine is very broad and includes unlawful killing and animal abuse, diagnosis of drowning, sudden death, nonaccidental injuries, violation of wildlife laws, malpractice or disciplinary procedures, and support to human forensic pathology. Veterinary forensic medicine is a rapidly evolving discipline. However, most of the information in veterinary forensic sciences is still acquired by human forensic literature. This is due to the lack of specific scientific literature for the veterinary field.

In this Special Issue of Animals, we aim to gather high-quality papers that may contribute to an international scientific platform by focusing on all fields related to the veterinary forensic sciences. This includes, but is not limited to, discussion relating to veterinary forensic pathology, toxicology, entomology, microbiology, and criminalistics. Researchers who are currently working in all fields of forensic veterinary medicine, pathology, science, and microbiology are welcome to contribute with in-depth reviews, original full articles, and unique case reports. The use of novel techniques will be of particular interest.

Dr. Giuseppe Piegari
Dr. Davide De Biase
Dr. Jason W. Brooks
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • veterinary forensic medicine
  • veterinary forensic pathology
  • forensic science
  • animal law
  • crime scene analysis
  • postmortem interval

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2583 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Muscle Proteins for Estimating the Post-Mortem Interval in Veterinary Forensic Pathology
by Giuseppe Piegari, Valeria De Pasquale, Ilaria d’Aquino, Davide De Biase, Giulia Caccia, Carlo Pietro Campobasso, Simona Tafuri, Valeria Russo and Orlando Paciello
Animals 2023, 13(4), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040563 - 6 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2485
Abstract
Postmortem cadaveric changes are commonly used to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) in humans and animals. However, these modifications have been poorly investigated in animals of interest to veterinary forensic pathology. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of [...] Read more.
Postmortem cadaveric changes are commonly used to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) in humans and animals. However, these modifications have been poorly investigated in animals of interest to veterinary forensic pathology. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of muscle proteins (desmin and dystrophin) as biomarkers for estimating the PMI in dogs. For this study, 10 dead adult dogs were evaluated for 4 days in a temperature-controlled room at 19 ± 1 °C. For each animal, at 3, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after death, a 1 × 1 × 1 cm cube of muscle tissue was removed from the vastus lateralis and triceps brachii. Protein expression levels were analyzed by immunohistochemical examination and immunoblot analysis. The obtained results showed rapid dystrophin degradation, with complete disappearance at 72 h after death. In contrast, desmin-positive fibers and desmin protein bands detected by immunoblot were observed on all 4 days of observation. Our findings suggest the potential use of muscle proteins as biomarkers for estimating the PMI in dogs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Veterinary Forensic Medicine and Forensic Science in Veterinary Practice)
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16 pages, 2864 KiB  
Article
Forensic Death Investigations of Dog Bite Injuries in 31 Cats
by Chia-Lin Hsiou, Chih-Chin Hsu, Pei-Wen Liao, Fu-Hua Yang, Ann Nee Lee and Wei-Hsiang Huang
Animals 2022, 12(18), 2404; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182404 - 13 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 10888
Abstract
Animal bite injuries are common in free-ranging cats in Taiwan, and most fatal animal bite events are presumed to be caused by dogs. However, speculation regarding animal abuse may occur when carcasses with prominent injuries are found by members of the general public. [...] Read more.
Animal bite injuries are common in free-ranging cats in Taiwan, and most fatal animal bite events are presumed to be caused by dogs. However, speculation regarding animal abuse may occur when carcasses with prominent injuries are found by members of the general public. Local animal protection offices and veterinary clinicians sometimes face difficulties in convincing these individuals by identifying specific features of dog bite injuries in cat carcasses. Therefore, the present study analyzed injury patterns and distribution in 31 necropsied cats with animal bite injuries, and applied deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis for canine DNA identification in 13 cats. The main necropsy findings included puncture wounds (26 (83.9%)), linear or small, round contusions/abrasions (20 (64.5%)), lacerations/avulsions (17 (54.8%)), abdominal wall rupture/laceration (19 (61.3%)), herniation (16 (51.6%)), fractures (21 (67.7%)), broken claws (16 (51.6%)), and hair tufts on the body surface (28 (90.3%)). The most-commonly injured regions were the ventral thorax and axilla (23 (74.2%)), hind limbs (22 (71.0%)), shoulder-to-dorsal thorax (21 (67.7%)), back and flank (20 (64.5%)), abdomen (19 (61.3%)), neck (19 (61.3%)), and hip/tail/perineum (17 (54.8%)). Canine mitochondrial DNA was identified in 3 out of 11 cases (27.3%) that were sampled using wound swabs and in 4 out of 5 cases that had hair entrapped in broken claws. In conclusion, this study determined the distribution and features of dog bite injuries in cats and developed an elemental method using trace evidence for DNA identification in animal bites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Veterinary Forensic Medicine and Forensic Science in Veterinary Practice)
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23 pages, 6897 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Considerations for Crime Scene Analysis in Cases of Animals Affected by Homemade Ammonium Nitrate and Aluminum Powder Anti-Personnel Landmines in Colombia: Characteristics and Effects
by Carlos Jaramillo Gutiérrez, Gustavo Farías Roldán, Krešimir Severin, Ubicelio Martin Orozco, Pilar Marín García and Víctor Toledo González
Animals 2022, 12(15), 1938; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12151938 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3909
Abstract
During the armed conflict in Colombia, homemade improvised antipersonnel landmines were used to neutralize the adversary. Many active artifacts remain buried, causing damage to biodiversity by exploding. The extensive literature describes the effects and injuries caused to humans by conventional landmines. However, there [...] Read more.
During the armed conflict in Colombia, homemade improvised antipersonnel landmines were used to neutralize the adversary. Many active artifacts remain buried, causing damage to biodiversity by exploding. The extensive literature describes the effects and injuries caused to humans by conventional landmines. However, there is considerably less information on the behavior and effects of homemade antipersonnel landmines on fauna and good field investigation practices. Our objectives were to describe the characteristics of a controlled explosion of a homemade antipersonnel landmine (using ammonium nitrate as an explosive substance), to compare the effectiveness of some evidence search patterns used in forensic investigation, and to determine the effects on a piece of an animal carcass. The explosion generated a shock wave and an exothermic reaction, generating physical effects on the ground and surrounding structures near the point of explosion. The amputation of the foot in direct contact with the device during the explosion and multiple fractures were the main effects on the animal carcass. Finally, it was determined that finding evidence was more effective in a smaller search area. Many factors can influence the results, which must be weighed when interpreting the results, as discussed in this manuscript. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Veterinary Forensic Medicine and Forensic Science in Veterinary Practice)
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14 pages, 2097 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Suspected Crimes against Companion Animals in Portugal
by Diana Araújo, Carla Lima, João R. Mesquita, Irina Amorim and Cristina Ochôa
Animals 2021, 11(9), 2744; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092744 - 20 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5073
Abstract
Animal crimes are a widespread phenomenon with serious implications for animal welfare, individual well-being and for society in general. These crimes are universal and represent a major problem in human/animal interaction. In Portugal, current law 69/2014 criminalizes the mistreatment and abandonment of companion [...] Read more.
Animal crimes are a widespread phenomenon with serious implications for animal welfare, individual well-being and for society in general. These crimes are universal and represent a major problem in human/animal interaction. In Portugal, current law 69/2014 criminalizes the mistreatment and abandonment of companion animals. This study characterizes forensic cases received at the Laboratory of Pathology of the National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinary Investigation (Vairão) since the enforcement of the aforementioned legislation. A retrospective study was carried out based on the consult of 160 data files of forensic necropsies from 127 dogs and 33 cats. Necropsies confirmed prior crime suspicion in 38 cases (24%), from which 33 were dogs and five were cats. Among confirmed cases, most of assaulted animals were medium-size (57%), crossbreed (55%) male (58%) dogs (87%), which were the victims of blunt force trauma (31%), firearms (27%), poisoning (27%) and asphyxiation (15%). In cats, most of the assaulted animals were juvenile (60%) females (60%) of unknown breed (40%), which suffered blunt force trauma (100%) as the only cause of death. The present study shows that violence against animals is a reality, and complaints about these crimes are gradually increasing due to the population’s raising awareness about animal rights. Greater communication and coordination between clinicians, veterinary pathologists, and law enforcement officers are essential to validate and legally support these cases and subject them to trial. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Veterinary Forensic Medicine and Forensic Science in Veterinary Practice)
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