16S rDNA sequencing data of postmortem micbiome during 1-day decomposition

Mammalian thanatomicrobiota studies have shown that microorganisms inhabit and proliferate externally and internally throughout the body and are the primary mediators of putrefaction after death. However, limited information is available about the changes in the postmortem microbiota in domestic animals, and the microbiome of extra-intestinal body sites in mammal corpses. Recently, the utilize of the V3 and V4 hypervariable region of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences for taxonomic classification (barcoding) and phylogenetic analyses of human postmortem microbiota has recently emerged as a possible tool in forensic microbiology. The goal of this study was to apply a 16S rRNA barcoding approach to investigate variation among different organs, as well as the relationship between microbial communities and time since death within 1-day decomposition. We assessed microbiota of organ tissues including brain, heart, liver, and kidney collected at autopsy from murine corpses with times of death ranging from 0.5 to 24 h in a relatively stable environment.