KatharoSeq Enables High-Throughput Microbiome Analysis from Low-Biomass Samples

• DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00218-17
• Publication Date: 2018-03-13T13:04:26Z
• Authors: Jeremiah J. Minich; Qiyun Zhu; Stefan Janssen; Ryan Hendrickson; Amnon Amir; Russ Vetter; John Hyde; Megan M. Doty; Kristina Stillwell; James Benardini; Jae H. Kim; Eric E. Allen; Kasthuri Venkates...; Rob Knight
• Keywords: NICU; metagenomics; 0303 health sciences; 16S rRNA amplicon; abalone; Acinetobacter; Staphylococcus; Biological Sciences; microbial ecology; neonatal intensive care unit; built environment; Microbiology; QR1-502; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Good Health and Well Being; Clinical Research; low biomass; built; Vibrio; Research Article

Various indoor, outdoor, and host-associated environments contain small quantities of microbial biomass represent a niche that is often understudied because technical constraints. Many studies attempt to evaluate these low-biomass microbiome samples are riddled with erroneous results typically false positive signals obtained during the sampling process. We have investigated various kits methods determine limit detection pipelines. Here we present KatharoSeq, high-throughput protocol combining laboratory bioinformatic can differentiate true signal in as few 50 500 cells. demonstrate application this method three unique environments, including SAF, hospital NICU, an abalone-rearing facility.