The effect of mephedrone upon the development of Calliphora vomitoria

Forensic Entomology is a field that has been established for many years, but current literature demonstrates that more and more cases are affected by the presence of various drugs. Mephedrone is currently a popular drug in the United Kingdom and, in recent years, has been linked to multiple deaths. In prior research, other drugs have been shown to affect the post-mortem interval calculated from the growth of maggots. Due to the newly-prevalent lethal properties of Mephedrone, homicide cases may emerge, in which mephedrone played a key-role as the cause of death. When taking entomological specimens, the mephedrone must be taken into consideration, as it may affect the growth of the maggot.

Calliphora vomitoria larvae were reared on minced beef, using different concentrations of mephedrone. Samples were taken from each batch, each day. These were then measured using a ruler, and the instar was determined using microscopy.

The results of the experiment established that mephedrone caused the maggots to develop at an accelerated rate, compared to those reared without mephedrone. This means that when mephedrone is involved in the death, the fatality may have occurred more recently than otherwise realised.