4.3 Article

Impact of Hypnotic Drug Zolpidem Tartrate on the Development of Forensic Fly Sarcophaga ruficornis (Diptera: Sarcophagidae)

Journal

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
Volume 59, Issue 3, Pages 820-825

Publisher

OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjac010

Keywords

Sarcophaga ruficornis; developmental duration; zolpidem tartrate; morphological parameter; entomotoxicology

Funding

  1. Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers [PNURSP2022R82]
  2. Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The study found that Zolpidem tartrate affects the developmental rate and life cycle duration of the flesh fly. The higher the concentration, the greater the impact. Morphological parameters are also affected by Zolpidem tartrate. Therefore, in cases where Zolpidem tartrate may be the cause of death, entomological evidence should be considered to accurately estimate the time of death.
The flesh fly Sarcophaga ruficornis (Fabricius) is one of the fly species of significant medical and forensic importance since it is one of the most common flesh flies used in forensic investigations. Zolpidem tartrate is a sedative-hypnotic drug used for the short-term treatment of insomnia in adults and its use has been implicated in many suicide cases worldwide. Fresh chopped liver of buffalo Bubalus bubalis (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) containing different concentrations of Zolpidem tartrate was given to S. ruficornis larvae to evaluate the effect of Zolpidem tartrate on the developmental rate of the different stages, life cycle duration, and the morphological parameters. The findings have shown significant variation in the time required for the different developmental stages and total life cycle duration, which correlated positively with the Zolpidem tartrate concentration in different cultures. Compared to the control, the morphological parameters were negatively correlated with the concentration of Zolpidem tartrate in the treated cultures. The obtained results indicate that the Zolpidem tartrate retards larval development and alters the estimation of the total developmental duration. Thus, when Zolpidem tartrate may be the cause of death, the entomological evidence needs to be analyzed so it takes zolpidem-related changes to the mPMI into account.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.3
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available