Efeito do brodifacoum na colonização da dipterofauna sarcossaprófaga durante processo de decomposição de carcaças de porco doméstico

Abstract

Entomotoxicology consists of the toxicological analysis of necrophagous insects with the aim of detecting toxic compounds in decomposing tissues, especially when human samples are unavailable. Sarcosaprophagous insects are widely employed in criminal investigations both to identify toxic substances and to assess their effects on larval development, contributing to the estimation of the minimum Postmortem Interval (PMI)—an essential tool in cases where bodies are found in an advanced state of decomposition, as frequently observed in suicides. According to high global incidence, suicide is considered a major public health issue, with poisoning accounting for approximately one-third of cases, often associated with the use of pesticides. In this context, this thesis aimed to investigate the sarcosaprophagous dipteran fauna associated with the decomposition of pig carcasses poisoned with brodifacoum, a rodenticide widely used in pest control. To this end, the dipteran fauna was identified and compared across all decomposition stages and experimental models. The results indicated that the lethal dose of brodifacoum did not prevent the attraction and oviposition of necrophagous dipterans, with the same species observed in both control and treated models. However, differences in relative abundance were found in groups treated with twice the lethal dose, which exhibited a lower number of individuals. Furthermore, the estimation of the minimum PMI based on accumulated degree days (ADD) demonstrated that the presence of supra-lethal doses of brodifacoum delayed colonization, resulting in an underestimation of the minimum PMI. Despite these delays, the estimated values remained within the expected range for the main species, supporting the use of entomofauna for forensic purposes even in cases involving anticoagulant poisoning.