Forensic Context

A systematic review of human studies identified the miR-518d-3p as a biomarker of organophosphate pesticide exposure, where its expression in human samples was positively associated with farmworker status and trended towards a positive dose response with pesticide metabolites in urine [Kotsyfakis et al. DOI:10.1080/1354750X.2019.1652348]. A study in humans demonstrated that miR-518d-3p was detectable in 82% of urine samples and was upregulated in farmworker adults during the post-harvest season, showing a 50-fold increase compared to non-farmworkers and a positive dose-response trend with total dialkyl phosphate pesticide metabolites [Weldon et al. DOI:10.1016/J.Taap.2016.01.018]. A systematic review further identified miR-518d-3p as being positively associated with farmworker status and organophosphate pesticide exposure [Kotsyfakis & Patelarou DOI:10.1080/1354750X.2019.1652348].