Attempt for specifying time of insect contamination―Histological change of cockroach muscle cells with time from death―

Abstract

In an attempt to specify the time of insect contamination, we investigated the histological changes of cockroach muscle cells and tissue with elapsed time after death. Effects of various treatments such as hot water or alcohol soaking were also examined. Slight but clear histological changes were observed by microscope in the muscle cell and tissue even within 15 minutes after death. In particular, muscle fibers began shrinking, and nuclei and sarcoplasm gradually became more difficult to detect within 60 minutes after death. Hot water or alcohol soaking treatments also brought about prominent histological changes, which differed significantly from the non-treated control. These results suggested that histological examination of invading insects might be an effective procedure for estimating the time of insect contamination.