Gut microbiome comparability of fresh-frozen versus stabilised-frozen samples by 16S and shotgun metagenomics
Ilett et al.
The finding, in our words
Stool stabilised in OMNIgene·GUT then frozen produced 16S and shotgun profiles statistically indistinguishable from fresh-frozen aliquots, supporting stabilised collection where freezing is impractical.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This study compared OMNIgene Gut tubes and FTA cards for stool collection in a deployed setting, finding that OMNIgene yielded higher nucleic acid concentrations while both methods detected the majority of microbial genera. The authors conclude that distinct microbial abundance profiles between the two methods necessitate standardised protocols for field research.
This study compared two preservatives for stool samples and found that OMNIgene GUT OMR-200 produced less variation in metagenomic taxonomic data across different storage temperatures, supporting its use in decentralised field studies. The authors recommend absolute quantification to address bias in microbial measurements.
In children, stool preserved in OMNIgene-GUT kept its microbial community structure better than unpreserved stool, with alpha and beta diversity similar to direct freezing, which supports the kit for decentralised stool collection from children.
Stool samples collected in DNA/RNA Shield tubes showed better preservation of microbiome taxonomic composition and functional stability over 18 months than OMNIgene-Gut tubes. This demonstrates that ambient stabilisation enables reliable decentralised microbiome collection and long-term storage before analysis.
DNA extraction methods explained 5.7% of microbiome variability, nearly as much as interindividual differences (7.4%), while collection methods had minimal impact. The choice of kit significantly skewed recovery of Gram-positive bacteria and enterotype distribution, underscoring the need for standardisation in decentralised stool sampling for clinical research.