Identification of Sample Processing Errors in Microbiome Studies Using Host Genetic Profiles.

ABSTRACT: In microbiome studies, sample processing errors are frequent and difficult to detect, especially in large studies involving multiple sites, personnel, and sample types. We present two complementary approaches to identify such errors using host DNA profiled via metagenomic sequencing of microbiome samples. The first approach compares host SNPs inferred from metagenomics to independently obtained genotypes (e.g., microarray genotypes) to match samples to their donors, while the second method compares metagenomics-inferred SNPs between samples to identify samples supplied by the same donor. Furthermore, we demonstrate that combining these methods with experimental metadata provides greater confidence in the identification of errors. Analyzing a longitudinal vaginal microbiome dataset, we demo

SUBMITTER: Urban J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12440029 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature