Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in post-mortem swab 35 days after death: A case report.

Post-mortem swabs for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA detection have been recommended by several Scientific Committees and Institutions as a standard procedure for post-mortem assessment of potential Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) related deaths. To date there is no data about the SARS-CoV-2 RNA detectability period in human bodies after death. The present case documents the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the upper respiratory tract 35-days after death.

Hypostasis and time since death: state of the art in Italy and a novel approach for an operative instrumental protocol.

Hypostasis is a common postmortem change, whose presence or absence is used by forensic pathologists as a means of determining the approximate time of death. This assessment plays a primary role in Italian forensic practice, but blanching of hypostasis is still estimated only on the basis of subjective impressions. To understand how forensic pathologists test livor mortis on the crime scene and during forensic daily practice in Italy, an inquiry was made into lividity testing.