{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,10]],"date-time":"2026-10-10T16:08:26Z","timestamp":1791648506636,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":76,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,19]],"date-time":"2026-01-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768780800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Postmortem microbiology has traditionally been regarded with caution in forensic practice due to concerns related to contamination, bacterial translocation, and postmortem microbial overgrowth. As a result, microbiological findings obtained after death have often been considered unreliable or of limited diagnostic value. However, growing evidence indicates that, when appropriately interpreted and integrated with autopsy findings, histopathology, and circumstantial information, postmortem microbiology can provide crucial support for cause-of-death determination. This narrative review critically examines the current role of postmortem microbiology in forensic diagnostics, with a focus on its diagnostic applications, interpretative challenges, and future perspectives. Methods\/Results: The transition from conventional culture-based techniques to molecular approaches\u2014including polymerase chain reaction, microbiome analysis, and metagenomic methods\u2014is discussed, highlighting both their potential advantages and inherent limitations within the forensic setting. Particular attention is devoted to key interpretative issues such as postmortem interval, sampling strategies, contamination, and bacterial translocation. In addition to cause-of-death attribution, emerging applications\u2014including postmortem interval estimation, trace evidence analysis, and artificial intelligence\u2013based models\u2014are reviewed. Although these approaches show promising research potential, their routine forensic applicability remains limited by methodological heterogeneity, lack of standardization, and interpretative complexity. Conclusions: In conclusion, postmortem microbiology represents a valuable diagnostic tool when applied within a multidisciplinary forensic framework. Its effective use requires cautious interpretation and integration with pathological and contextual evidence, avoiding standalone or automated conclusions. Future progress will depend on standardized methodologies, multidisciplinary collaboration, and a clear distinction between experimental research and routine forensic practice.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics16020325","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,20]],"date-time":"2026-01-20T08:36:33Z","timestamp":1768898193000},"page":"325","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Postmortem Microbiology in Forensic Diagnostics: Interpretation of Infectious Causes of Death and Emerging Applications"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8449-1803","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jessika","family":"Camatti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Universit\u00e0 12, 43121 Parma, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4889-1944","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Paola","family":"Bonasoni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 49, 40126 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Pathology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Via Amendola 2, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8828-1895","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna Laura","family":"Santunione","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8451-7212","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rossana","family":"Cecchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Unit of Legal Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-2064-6523","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Erjon","family":"Radheshi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Legal Medicine and Bioethics, Azienda USL IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Via Amendola 2, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6521-5887","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edoardo","family":"Carretto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy"},{"name":"U.O.C. 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