Procedures for the documentation and collection of physical evidence from human and animal envenomization cases.

Legal cases involving human and animal envenomizations may be encountered by the medicolegal investigator.  Such cases are often difficult due to lack of physical evidence and analytical difficulty.  The development and use of an interdisciplinary approach and standardized protocol involving experts in environmental and life sciences (toxicology, legal medicine, entomology, veterinary forensic science, biology, geography, geology, and meteorology) may improve the documentation, collection, and presentation of physical evidence in court.  This information can be utilized to develop and optimize new protocols for toxicological screenings for application in human and animal cases.  In such cases, the scientific background of coroners and police experts may not be sufficient to correctively delineate the environmental features of the territory that may be typical of certain species of venomous fauna present in the scene of the events. Therefore, protocols providing complete information concerning the environment of the scene and detail of the events together with exam protocols, sample collection, tissue preservation, and testing/analysis are needed. This holistic approach could enhance the ability to detect toxins involved in envenomizations to better manage forensic science and legal cases.