Biodegradation In Hair Shafts

Summary

Background Hair is degraded by the action of both dermatophytic and nondermatophytic microorganisms. The importance of understanding hair sample condition in archaeological and forensic investigation highlights the need for a detailed knowledge of the sequence of degradation in samples that have been either buried or left exposed at the ground surface.
Objectives To investigate the sequence of biodegradative change to human terminal scalp hair from archaeological and forensic contexts.
Methods Cut modern scalp hair from three individuals with caucasoid-type hair was inoculated with soil microorganisms through soil burial in the field and under laboratory conditions to produce experimentally degraded samples. The degraded hair fibres were subjected to detailed histological examination using a combination of high-resolution light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to investigate the nature and sequence of degradative change to hair structural components
Results ⁄discussion Degradation was found to occur first within the least structurally robust components that afford the least resistance to microbial ⁄chemical attack. The sequence of degradation