Fecal microbiomes from screening sampling tubes are stable despite varying sampling and storage conditions.

ABSTRACT: Residual material from fecal immunochemical test (FIT) tubes, commonly used in colorectal cancer screening programs, offers a valuable resource for large-scale gut microbiome studies. With recent advances in sequencing technologies, sequencing the full-length bacterial 16S ribosomal gene is now feasible. In this study, we evaluated the impact of pre-analytical handling conditions on microbiome profiling using FIT samples. Stool samples from eight healthy adults were subjected to various short-term (+ 20 °C) and long-term (-18 °C or -80 °C) storage conditions prior to DNA extraction. We also investigated the effects of sampling variation and the presence of buffer medium. Full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicons were generated and sequenced using Oxford Nanopore Technology to characterize the mi

SUBMITTER: Jorgensen AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12289992 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature