Preservation Methods Differ in Fecal Microbiome Stability, Affecting Suitability for Field Studies.

ABSTRACT: Immediate freezing at -20°C or below has been considered the gold standard for microbiome preservation, yet this approach is not feasible for many field studies, ranging from anthropology to wildlife conservation. Here we tested five methods for preserving human and dog fecal specimens for periods of up to 8 weeks, including such types of variation as freeze-thaw cycles and the high temperature fluctuations often encountered under field conditions. We found that three of the methods-95% ethanol, FTA cards, and the OMNIgene Gut kit-can preserve samples sufficiently well at ambient temperatures such that differences at 8 weeks are comparable to differences among technical replicates. However, even the worst methods, including those with no fixative, were able to reveal microbiome differences

SUBMITTER: Song SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5069758 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature