May be a useful technique the next time someone tries to blame a ferret
for a mauling in a questionable situation:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22361950

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Int J Legal Med. 2012 Feb 24. [Epub ahead of print]

Bite through the tent.

Naue J, Lutz-Bonengel S, Pietsch K, Sanger T, Schlauderer N, Schmidt U.

Institute of Legal Medicine, Freiburg University Medical Center,
Albertstrabe 9, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

The authors report on a young boy who was bitten into his face by an
unknown animal while being asleep in a tent. Given the bite marks and
the location of the scene, members of the mustelidae and canidae
families were the first "suspects."

Deoxyribunucleic acid (DNA) recovered from the tent's wall was analyzed
with regard to parts of the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal ribunucleic
acid (12S rRNA) and cytochrome b (cytb) genes as well as nuclear
short tandem repeats (STRs). Since Sanger sequencing revealed a
mixed sequence with a strong human component overlying the nonhuman
contributor, an animal screening using a duplex real-time polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) with an intercalating dye and melt curve analysis
was employed. The results were later confirmed by cloning. The applied
commercial canine STR kit verified the animal family (canidae) but
did not help in discriminating the species due to cross-species
amplification. In the presented case, the real-time PCR assay offered
the cheapest and fastest method for animal family determination,
which then allowed for an appropriate and sample-saving strategy to
characterize the causative animal species.

PMID: 22361950  [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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[Posted in FML 7356]