Culture-independent molecular analysis of microbial constituents of the healthy human outer ear.

ABSTRACT: Molecular-phylogenetic sequence analyses have provided a new perspective on microbial communities by allowing the detection and identification of constituent microorganisms in the absence of cultivation. In this study we used broad-specificity amplification of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes to survey organisms present in the human outer ear canal. Samples were obtained from 24 individuals, including members of three extended families, in order to survey the resident microbiota and to examine microbial population structures in individuals related by familial or household associations. To examine the stability of the microbial populations, one individual was sampled four times and another twice over a 14-month period. We found that a distinct set of microbial types was present in the majority of

SUBMITTER: Frank DN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC149572 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature