Collecting Fecal Samples for Microbiome Analyses in Epidemiology Studies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The need to develop valid methods for sampling and analyzing fecal specimens for microbiome studies is increasingly important, especially for large population studies.

Methods

Some of the most important attributes of any sampling method are reproducibility, stability, and accuracy. We compared seven fecal sampling methods [no additive, RNAlater, 70% ethanol, EDTA, dry swab, and pre/post development fecal occult blood test (FOBT)] using 16S rRNA microbiome profiling in two laboratories. We evaluated nine commonly used microbiome metrics: abundance of three phyla, two alpha-diversities, and four beta-diversities. We determined the technical reproducibility, stability at ambient temperature, and accuracy.

Results

Although microbiome profiles showed systematic

SUBMITTER: Sinha R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4821594 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature