d'Aquino, Ilaria (2021) New perspectives in Veterinary Forensic Sciences. [Tesi di dottorato]

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Over the last years, the knowledge on the veterinary forensic sciences has experienced a rapid increase as evidenced by number of peer- reviewed publications, textbooks, and inclusion of the topic in many veterinary medical conferences. However, most of the information in veterinary forensic medicine is still acquired by human forensic literature. This lack of information is currently considered a serious problem in veterinary forensic medicine. Indeed, although it is undeniably true that the mechanisms of forensic injuries as well as the post-mortem cadaveric changes are similar between humans and animals, the different morphology, weight, and tissue resistance of animals compared to human anatomy and other species-specific factors make the information validated in human forensic medicine not always applicable in the veterinary forensic field. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis work is to summarize the studies carried out throughout the PhD scholarship, which were based on development of new methodological approaches in the veterinary forensic field. As regard to injuries secondary to neglect, particular interest was given to post-mortem findings in emaciated dogs. Indeed, our study offers new insights in the differential involvement of the liver in the pathogenesis of starvation and cachexia. A quantitative assessment of the number of portal tracts in histological samples has proven to be a useful tool assisting the determination of the cause and mechanism of death in abused animals, not as a unique and definite determination, but as supporting evidence together with the other findings suggestive of starvation. In addition, as regards the estimation of age in puppies, we have conducted studies aimed at identifying new indirect methods to assess the age of puppies in association with other methods described in literature. A morphometric study of the kidney and an immunohistochemical study were then carried out in order to establish if there is a correlation between the number of glomeruli and age of puppies and to evaluate the positivity of the glomeruli to the anti-a-Actin smooth muscle antibody. Finally, as regard to forensic traumatology, we investigated the applicability of the forensic necropsy for the identification and monitoring of accidental and non-accidental injuries in dogs and cats when a body is recovered in outdoor crime scenes and no witness testimony is available. Together, these findings will provide useful tools to increase the knowledge in the veterinary forensic field.

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