Forensic entomology is accepted as an essential tool in many homicide cases. Entomotoxicology is a branch of forensic entomology focused on detecting drugs or other toxic substances in decomposing tissues from insects. The literature mostly reports the extraction of drugs and chemicals (morphine, cocaine, opiates, benzodiazepines, paracetamol, mercury, etc.) from blowfly larvae. However, a small number of studies are focused on the entomotoxicological analyses of chemical compounds associated with poisoning wildlife and pets.Organochlorine pesticides such as Endosulfan are the most common substances used to prepare poisoned baits (1223 cases between 2005 to 2009, data from Centro Regionale Antidoping of Torino, Italy). In a few cases Endosulfan has been involved in human fatalities. Due to its toxicity in 2012 the Stockholm Convention Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) dismissed the production and the use of Endosulfan by 2018. In this study larvae of Calliphora vomitoria L. were reared on substrates (beef liver) spiked with three different amounts of α and β Endosulfan: 10ppm, 25ppm, 50ppm. Another liver was used as control. These levels of Endosulfan were calculated based on concentrations found in livers of both humans and animals which died as a result of Endosulfan poisoning. 100mg of C. vomitoria larvae, pupae and spent pupae in each experimental group were processed using QuEChERS method and analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in order to determine the presence of Endosulfan in the chitinic array. Furthermore, 30 individuals of each experimental group at these different stages were sacrificed to determine their developmental stage. This study demonstrated that it was possible to extract Endosulfan from larvae reared on beef liver spiked with 25ppm and 50ppm Endosulfan (with α Endosulfan concentration generally higher) but not with 10 ppm. Developmental times for C. vomitoria reared on 10ppm and 25ppm were not significantly different to the control, whereas individuals reared on 25ppm showed a significantly different developmental time from the control. C. vomitoria reared on 50ppm developed much slower and never reached the pupal instar. As larvae their development was significantly slower than the control.
Development of a GC-MS method for the detection of α and β Endosulfan in Calliphora vomitoria (L.) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)
PAZZI, Marco;VINCENTI, Marco;
2014-01-01
Abstract
Forensic entomology is accepted as an essential tool in many homicide cases. Entomotoxicology is a branch of forensic entomology focused on detecting drugs or other toxic substances in decomposing tissues from insects. The literature mostly reports the extraction of drugs and chemicals (morphine, cocaine, opiates, benzodiazepines, paracetamol, mercury, etc.) from blowfly larvae. However, a small number of studies are focused on the entomotoxicological analyses of chemical compounds associated with poisoning wildlife and pets.Organochlorine pesticides such as Endosulfan are the most common substances used to prepare poisoned baits (1223 cases between 2005 to 2009, data from Centro Regionale Antidoping of Torino, Italy). In a few cases Endosulfan has been involved in human fatalities. Due to its toxicity in 2012 the Stockholm Convention Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) dismissed the production and the use of Endosulfan by 2018. In this study larvae of Calliphora vomitoria L. were reared on substrates (beef liver) spiked with three different amounts of α and β Endosulfan: 10ppm, 25ppm, 50ppm. Another liver was used as control. These levels of Endosulfan were calculated based on concentrations found in livers of both humans and animals which died as a result of Endosulfan poisoning. 100mg of C. vomitoria larvae, pupae and spent pupae in each experimental group were processed using QuEChERS method and analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in order to determine the presence of Endosulfan in the chitinic array. Furthermore, 30 individuals of each experimental group at these different stages were sacrificed to determine their developmental stage. This study demonstrated that it was possible to extract Endosulfan from larvae reared on beef liver spiked with 25ppm and 50ppm Endosulfan (with α Endosulfan concentration generally higher) but not with 10 ppm. Developmental times for C. vomitoria reared on 10ppm and 25ppm were not significantly different to the control, whereas individuals reared on 25ppm showed a significantly different developmental time from the control. C. vomitoria reared on 50ppm developed much slower and never reached the pupal instar. As larvae their development was significantly slower than the control.
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