Ubiquitous microbial contaminants associated with scientific ocean drilling.

ABSTRACT: Deep-sea subsurface samples typically have low microbial biomass, making them more susceptible to contamination. Potential contaminants can be introduced during any step of the scientific process, including drilling (contamination from the drilling fluid and lubricants and seawater); sample preparation (contamination from air and human handling); and DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing (contamination from reagents). The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) samples that are dedicated to microbiological analyses (known as MBIO samples) are routinely tested for contamination by injecting known concentrations of fluorescent microspheres or tracers directly into the drilling fluids. These tracers are a great tool to determine the level of drilling fluid contamination on board,

SUBMITTER: Labonte JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11936376 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature