Mycology can contribute to a variety of forensic investigations, including the determination of postmortem intervals from mold growth on corpses, psychoactive substances and toxins, hazards from mold growth in buildings, and providing trace evidence linking people and objects with places. Studies are also starting to be undertaken to explore the use of molecular data on fungi in the characterization of soils. In addition, where there are health concerns, possibly associated with mold growth in

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... uildings, guidance is presented with respect to the collection of samples, and some caveats are given which must be considered in interpretation of data. Attention is drawn to pertinent publications which either appeared, or came to the attention of the authors, since the review they prepared in 2010. This is supplemented by examples from their own recent casework. In order to avoid valuable information being overlooked, there is a need for investigating officers, and those involved in forensic medicine, especially pathologists and toxicologists, to be aware of the evidential value of fungi. In particular, they should not overlook opportunities to recover spores from human remains, to examine any mold colonies growing on corpses, and to analyze gut contents for fungal material and spores. It is gradually becoming more widely appreciated that mycology (the study of fungi) contributes greatly to the provision of intelligence, and to the resolution of evidence in various kinds of criminal and civil forensic investigations. A review, illustrating the range of applications of mycology in actual criminal investigations, was prepared in 2010, 1 and the present contribution draws attention to additional examples and experimental studies, especially ones published since that date. Also, we now extend the scope to civil investigations which have a health or medical aspect. This review is written for coroners, pathologists, toxicologists, and investigators concerned with both criminal cases and insurance claims. Through drawing attention to what has been achieved in actual cases, it aims to provide guidance as to where specialist mycological input could be beneficial. Some common pitfalls in sampling and interpretation, particularly in investigations of mold growth in buildings, and ingestion of psychotropic and toxic substances, can lead to unsound claims of adverse medical effects from fungi. Introduction Our first review of forensic mycology 1 focussed on its application in actual criminal cases; the review endeavored to cover literature and casework to mid-2010.