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Forensic entomology studies how insects colonize cadavers, how those insects develop over time, and how they help decompose organic materials in a crime scene. Bacteria also play a role in decomposition and is a new area of interest for forensic entomologists. PRISM’s Samantha Davis and her mentor, Dr. Jennifer Rosati, have been investigating the role that bacteria play in the recruitment of blow flies to a corpse and have identified numerous bacterial and fungal species that are associated with blow fly eggs. Pictured here is a bacterial colony of Enterococcus faecalis, typically a common microbe found in the human gut microbiome, but was isolated from the surface of Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy) eggs. The iridescence observed in the colonies is likely caused by the periodicity of the developing cell population as they grow. 

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