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

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 adul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical entomology 2022-05, Vol.59 (3), p.820-825
Main Authors: Al-Keridis, Lamya Ahmed, Abd Al Galil, Fahd Mohammed, Al-Mekhlafi, Fahd A., Wadaan, Muhammad A., Al-Khalifa, Mohammed S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
developmental duration
Developmental stages
DIRECT INJURY, MYIASIS, FORENSICS
Drug therapy
entomotoxicology
Forensic science
Insomnia
Larvae
Larval development
Life cycles
morphological parameter
Morphology
Parameters
Sarcophaga
Sarcophaga ruficornis
Sarcophagidae
Sleep disorders
Suicide
Zolpidem
zolpidem tartrate
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0022-2585
1938-2928
DOI:10.1093/jme/tjac010