Github Repository for the paper on the use of the human virome as a forensic marker
This published work is available here.
To cite this work or code: Graham EH, Clarke JL, Fernando SC, Herr JR, Adamowicz MS. The application of the skin virome for human identification. The Journal of Forensic Science International: Genetics. Volume 57, March 2022, 102662.
ABSTRACT The use of skin virome offers a unique approach for human identification purposes in instances where a viable and statistically relevant human DNA profile is unavailable. The skin virome may act as an alternative DNA profile and/or an additional form of probative genetic material. To date, no study has attempted to investigate the human virome over a time series across various physical locations of the body to identify its diagnostic potential as a tool for human identification. For this study, we set out to evaluate the stability, diversity, and individualization of the human skin virome. An additional goal was to identify putative viral signatures that can be used in conjunction with traditional forensic STR loci. In order to accomplish this, human viral metagenomes were collected and sequenced from 42 individuals at three anatomical locations (left hand, right hand, and scalp) across multiple collection periods over a 6-month window of time. Assembly dependent and independent bioinformatic approaches, along with a database centered assessment of viral identification, resulted in three sets of stable putative viral markers. In total, with the three sets combined, we identified 59 viral biomarker regions, consisting of viral species and uncharacterized viral genome assemblies, that were stable over the sampling period. Additionally, we found the abundance profiles of these 59 viral biomarkers, based on presence or absence, to be significantly different across subjects (P < 0.001). Here we demonstrate that not only is the human virome applicable to be used for human identification, but we have identified many viral signatures that can putatively be used for forensic applications, thus providing a foundation to the novel field of forensic virology.
FUNDING This work was completed using the Holland Computing Center of the University of Nebraska, which receives support from the Nebraska Research Initiative. This work was supported by the Department of Justice, USA [Grant numbers 2017-IJ-CX-0025 and 2019-75-CX-0017] and NIJ Fellowship [Grant number 2019-R2-CX-0048].All of the funding agencies had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
The pre-print of this work was deposited to bioRxiv.
More info: Herr Lab Website; Fernando Lab Website