The Library
1530 papers on microsampling and monitoring, each with a finding paraphrased to our standard and labelled in one vocabulary. Every entry links to a legitimate copy; nothing is copied from an abstract.
62 papers labelled “stool”, newest first.
2026
A study limited by sample size found OMNIgene GUT tubes preserved Cryptosporidium DNA better than DNA Shield and FTA cards after year-long ambient storage. qPCR detected DNA in 23/24 OMNIgene, 21/24 DNA Shield, and 17/20 FTA samples, while metagenomics detected it in 13/24, 9/24, and 0/24 samples respectively, guiding decentralised sampling choices.
Detection of <i>Cryptosporidium hominis</i> by clinical metagenomics in stool samples from an outbreak of diarrhoea among British military personnel in Kenya — Halford et al., BMJ military health (paywalled)
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- serology
- microbiome
- stool
2026
Analysis of self-collected stool samples from 309 participants demonstrated that proton pump inhibitor use is significantly associated with an enrichment of Streptococcus species in the gut. This confirms the suitability of decentralised self-sampling for conducting large-scale metagenomic analyses in population studies.
Gut Microbial Variations Associated With Proton Pump Inhibitor Use in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study — Dinesh et al., Pharmacology research & perspectives
- stool
- self-collection
- microbiome
2026
The study demonstrated the feasibility of a fully decentralised design by successfully recruiting 37 participants and completing follow-up for self-collected stool samples without requiring on-site visits.
Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Cesarean Section and the Maternal Gut Microbiome: Protocol for a Remote Observational Cohort Study — Feles & Mattner, JMIR research protocols
- stool
- self-collection
- dct
- microbiome
2026
This pilot study found that mailing self-collection kits to endometrial cancer survivors was feasible and acceptable, whilst also observing that chemotherapy or radiation reduced beneficial vaginal bacteria compared to surgery alone.
Stool and vaginal microbiome profiles patterns among Black and White endometrial cancer survivors: A pilot study in North Carolina — Jin et al., PloS one
- stool
- self-collection
- acceptability
- microbiome
2026
This review establishes that microsampling across blood, saliva, urine and stool matrices offers validated workflows and regulatory recognition for human biomonitoring comparable to conventional methods. It finds that these decentralised approaches enhance participant acceptability and enable screening in remote or low-resource settings.
Integrating Microsampling in Human Biomonitoring: Methodologies, Regulatory Frameworks, and Case Study Insights — Rajamani & Poongavanam, Critical reviews in analytical chemistry (paywalled)
- wearable
- acceptability
- multimodal
- sweat
- blood
- dbs
- standards
- dried
- serology
- colorectal
- pediatric
- stool
- urine
- validation
- saliva
- biomarkers
2025
In a field cohort of 60 adults with diarrhoea, OMNIgene 200 and DNA/RNA shield maintained high sensitivity and concordance with fresh samples for most pathogens, while FTA cards showed low sensitivity for STEC and poor specificity for Campylobacter. This supports the use of stabilised stool media for decentralised PCR testing after prolonged ambient transport.
Prospective evaluation of different faecal preservation media for travellers' diarrhoea diagnostic application with multiplex PCR BioFire FilmArray in resource-limited settings — Toriro et al., Journal of medical microbiology
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- serology
- stool
2025
Taxonomic and diversity profiles differed between unstabilised swabs and stabilised OmniGene kits, with transport time disproportionately affecting swab samples; the collection method had a greater impact on taxa and diversity than transport time, highlighting the need for standardised stool collection in decentralised microbiome studies.
Stabilized and unstabilized sampling methods result in differential fecal 16S rRNA microbial sequencing results — Stamper et al., PloS one
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- self-collection
- microbiome
- stool
2025
In a one-week virtual home clinic with 134 participants, 86 per cent returned saliva and 84 per cent returned stool, and most components were feasible and acceptable despite device and logistical challenges. This supports decentralised, patient-centric self-collection of non-blood biospecimens for research.
Collecting at-Home Biometric Measures for Longitudinal Research From the i3C: Feasibility and Acceptability Study — Russell et al., JMIR human factors
- saliva
- stool
- self-collection
- acceptability
- dct
- microbiome
2025
The study found significant gut microbiota alterations in systemic lupus erythematosus patients, with different beta diversity, p=0.001, and shifts in phyla abundance compared to controls. Specific microbial profiles were associated with clinical subgroups, though the authors note the clinical relevance of species-level alterations requires further validation.
Association of Gut Dysbiosis with Disease Phenotype and Treatment in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus — Medina-Martínez et al., Medical sciences
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- microbiome
2025
Self-collected oral and stool samples revealed distinct microbiome compositions in patients with endometriosis compared to controls, with Fusobacterium enrichment specifically observed in oral samples from moderate to severe cases. These results support the feasibility of decentralised self-collection for non-invasive biomarker screening in reproductive health.
Oral, Vaginal, and Stool Microbial Signatures in Patients With Endometriosis as Potential Diagnostic Non-Invasive Biomarkers: A Prospective Cohort Study — Hicks et al., BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
- self-collection
- microbiome
- fertility
- stool
- saliva
- biomarkers
2025
This study found that stool samples self-collected on cards showed high correlation and agreement with ethanol-fixed samples for metagenomic sequencing, with negligible differences in microbial diversity. The results support the use of stool cards as a cost-effective alternative for decentralised sampling in epidemiologic studies, despite minor variations in individual species abundance.
Comparing the Metagenomic Performance of Stools Collected from Custom Cards and 95% Ethanol in Epidemiologic Studies — Kuntz et al., Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology (paywalled)
- stool
- dried
- self-collection
- validation
- microbiome
- colorectal
2025
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.
Field expedient stool collection methods for gut microbiome analysis in deployed military environments — Kok et al., mSphere
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- dried
- microbiome
- stool
- validation
2025
In 20 adults, CRP measured in urine and saliva strongly correlated with serum CRP (Spearman rho 0.886) and was significantly elevated in participants with systemic inflammation compared with controls, suggesting these noninvasive matrices could replace venipuncture for monitoring inflammatory status in remote or at-home settings.
Multimodal Noninvasive Assessment of C-Reactive Protein for Systemic Inflammation in Adults: Cross-Sectional Study — Shim et al., JMIR formative research
- saliva
- urine
- stool
- sweat
- venous-agreement
- acceptability
- biomarkers
2025
Researchers validated a UHPLC-MS/MS assay for citrinin in capillary blood collected with Neoteryx Mitra VAMS devices, plus feces and urine, achieving quantification limits of 0.05 ng/mL. The study derived human toxicokinetic parameters from 48-hour sample collection after a single oral dose, demonstrating that microsampling enables robust population-level exposure assessment for mycotoxins.
Derivation of Human Toxicokinetic Parameters and Chemical-Specific Adjustment Factor of Citrinin Through a Human Intervention Trial and Hierarchical Bayesian Population Modeling — Visintin et al., Toxins
- blood
- urine
- stool
- dried
- capillary
- vams
- neoteryx-mitra
- validation
- toxicology
2024
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.
Quantifying bias introduced by sample collection in relative and absolute microbiome measurements — Maghini et al., Nature biotechnology (paywalled)
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- microbiome
2024
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.
Omnigene-Gut<sup>tm</sup> ensures fecal microbiome stability in the pediatric population — Hoogendijk et al., AMB Express
- dct
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- microbiome
- pediatric
- stool
- validation
2024
In a cross-sectional study of 90 adolescents, 94 per cent provided at least one salivary sample and 89 per cent supplied a stool sample, with high adherence to study instructions, indicating that self-collection of these biospecimens is feasible and acceptable in this age group.
Engaging adolescents in research: Home self-collection of biological samples and health questionnaires — Leung et al., Research in nursing & health (paywalled)
- acceptability
- self-collection
- microbiome
- pediatric
- stool
- saliva
2024
A pilot RCT found home self-sampling tools substantially increased screening uptake for colorectal cancer, 75% vs 13%, and cervical cancer, 79% vs 8%, versus standard reminders among underserved patients, with abnormal findings in a quarter of returned tests. The study was limited by small sample size and short follow-up.
Self-sampling tools to increase cancer screening among underserved patients: a pilot randomized controlled trial — Moss et al., JNCI cancer spectrum
- stool
- self-collection
- colorectal
- hpv
2024
A study found that stool stabilised in 95% ethanol or OMNImet•GUT and OMNIgene•GUT kits maintained metabolome and microbiome profiles comparable to flash freezing for up to seven days at room temperature. Non-stabilised samples showed temperature-dependent changes in bile and short-chain fatty acids, supporting decentralised, patient-centric ambient collection.
Comparative Metabolomics and Microbiome Analysis of Ethanol versus OMNImet/gene•GUT Fecal Stabilization — Isokääntä et al., Analytical chemistry
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- microbiome
- metabolome
2024
This pilot study of 15 subjects demonstrated that dried fecal spots on quantitative DBS devices yielded bile acid profiles equivalent to frozen samples after four months of ambient storage and shipping. This validates a decentralised stool microsampling method that could enable patient home testing and expand screening in rural or resource-limited settings.
Repurposing dried blood spot device technology to examine bile acid profiles in human dried fecal spot samples — Engevik et al., American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology (paywalled)
- stool
- dried
- qdbs
- self-collection
- validation
- metabolome
2023
The study compared two stool collection devices and found that GutAlive maintained bacterial viability and DNA integrity over time, preserving the original microbiome composition and diversity, which supports its use for decentralised self-collection in microbiome diagnostics.
GutAlive<sup>®</sup> enables DNA-based microbiome analysis without disrupting the original composition and diversity — Montero et al., Frontiers in microbiology
- stabilised
- self-collection
- microbiome
- stool
2023
Stool from two volunteers showed different microbiome profiles between the outer cortex and the inner core, and homogenising then stabilising at 4°C for 24 hours preserved diversity better than fresh or frozen processing; a possible route to home stool collection, though only two people were sampled.
Accelerating Gut Microbiome Research with Robust Sample Collection — Zreloff et al., Research & reviews. Journal of microbiology and biotechnology
- stool
- stabilised
- microbiome
2023
Processing stool samples with OMNIgene SPUTUM significantly improved the diagnostic yield of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay compared to standard methods, offering a viable alternative for patients who cannot produce sputum.
Diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and culture assays to detect Mycobacterium Tuberculosis using OMNIgene-sputum processed stool among adult TB presumptive patients in Uganda — Sessolo et al., PloS one
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
2023
Fecal and oral microbiome samples showed high stability over two years at -80°C, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.70–0.99 for stool and above 0.74 for saliva across most collection methods. Stool collected without additive and saliva collected with Scope mouthwash showed lower stability for some measures, demonstrating that collection method choice affects reliability of stored samples for microbiome analysis in decentralised diagnostics.
Stability of the Fecal and Oral Microbiome over 2 Years at -80°C for Multiple Collection Methods — Zouiouich et al., Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology (paywalled)
- saliva
- stool
- stabilised
- validation
- microbiome
2023
This review summarises progress toward integrating automated sample preparation with on-chip nucleic acid amplification for home testing of self-collected blood, urine, saliva and stool specimens. It identifies that user-friendly, combined systems may enable rapid, accurate molecular diagnostics outside central laboratories, which is relevant for decentralised infectious disease screening.
Toward Rapid and Accurate Molecular Diagnostics at Home — Liu & Lee, Advanced materials (paywalled)
- blood
- saliva
- urine
- stool
- self-collection
- validation
- serology
2023
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.
Long-term taxonomic and functional stability of the gut microbiome from human fecal samples — Kim et al., Scientific reports
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- microbiome
2022
A dissolvable wipe with DESS solution captured stool for metagenomics with high species-level agreement to frozen storage, R2 0.96, preserved Shannon diversity and species richness, and performed comparably to a commercial preservation kit, R2 0.98, enabling stable room temperature collection and transport for decentralised sampling.
A Wipe-Based Stool Collection and Preservation Kit for Microbiome Community Profiling — Hua et al., Frontiers in immunology
- stabilised
- self-collection
- microbiome
- stool
- validation
2022
A retrospective analysis of laboratory data found that adherence to a home-collected multi-target stool DNA test was 51.3% among Medicaid enrollees, 54.6% in Managed-Medicaid and 38.9% in Fee-For-Service. This shows that navigation-supported stool self-collection is a viable patient-centric option for decentralised screening, though the study was limited by its retrospective design.
Cross-sectional adherence with the multi-target stool DNA test for colorectal cancer screening in a medicaid population — Miller-Wilson et al., Preventive medicine reports
- stool
- self-collection
- colorectal
2022
The study demonstrated that a decentralised healthcare model using self-collected blood in stool tests achieved high adherence and early detection rates for colorectal cancer. It also showed a favourable cost-benefit ratio compared to the standard costs of treating advanced disease.
"CUIDARAS " : A Nominal and Personalized Health Care Model. Effectiveness of a Massive Screening for Colorectal Cancer Detection at Community level — Marin et al., The Gulf journal of oncology (paywalled)
- stool
- self-collection
- economics
- colorectal
2022
TB-MBLA testing of OMNIgene-stabilised stool detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis with 80% sensitivity and 79% specificity against sputum culture in 100 adults, offering a viable alternative for patients unable to produce sputum. The RNA-based assay quantified bacterial load, showing higher burdens in HIV-co-infected individuals, while stool cultures suffered 21-26% contamination rates.
High Mycobacterium tuberculosis Bacillary Loads Detected by Tuberculosis Molecular Bacterial Load Assay in Patient Stool: a Potential Alternative for Nonsputum Diagnosis and Treatment Response Monitoring of Tuberculosis — Musisi et al., Microbiology spectrum
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- serology
2021
An ambient-temperature DNA Genotek device recovered 94.5% of the metabolites seen in flash-frozen aliquots with strong agreement: room-temperature stabilisation can stand in for immediate freezing.
An ambient-temperature stabilisation device performs comparably to flash-frozen collection for stool metabolomics in infants — Ramamoorthy et al., BMC Microbiology
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- metabolome
- validation
- pediatric
2021
A study found that fecal samples on FOBT cards and RNAlater, and oral samples in Scope mouthwash, remained stable for four days at room temperature, with fecal comparability ICCs ranging from 0.63 to 0.93. These methods support decentralised sampling, though consistent method choice is required as each may introduce modest differences.
Comparison of fecal and oral collection methods for studies of the human microbiota in two Iranian cohorts — Wu et al., BMC microbiology
- saliva
- stool
- stabilised
- microbiome
2021
OMNIgene·GUT stabilised stool gave detectable total bile acid concentrations but differed significantly from snap frozen samples; however, relative concentrations of cholanic, chenodeoxycholic, deoxycholic and lithocholic acids correlated well with a 30 per cent acceptability bias, supporting its use for decentralised bile acid profiling.
Fitness for purpose of stabilized stool samples for bile acid metabolite analyses — Neuberger-Castillo et al., Scientific reports
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- metabolome
2021
Alpha diversity metrics and relative abundances of major bacterial phyla remained stable across storage at 4 °C for up to 96 h, with the greatest compositional change occurring in the first 24 h; inter-individual differences outweighed storage effects, supporting robust decentralised self-collection of stool for microbiome analysis.
Assessing the impact of storage time on the stability of stool microbiota richness, diversity, and composition — Holzhausen et al., Gut pathogens
- self-collection
- microbiome
- stool
- validation
2021
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.
Quantifying technical confounders in microbiome studies — Bartolomaeus et al., Cardiovascular research (paywalled)
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- microbiome
2021
Comparison of six stool collection methods in healthy volunteers found OMNIgene Gut, FOBT cards, RNAlater and Microlution were reliable for metagenomics, whereas 95% ethanol best preserved metabolite profiles; the authors recommend using separate collection methods for different analytical aims in large population studies.
Comparison of Fecal Collection Methods on Variation in Gut Metagenomics and Untargeted Metabolomics — Guan et al., mSphere
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- microbiome
- metabolome
2021
The paper identified that the Zymo DNA/RNA shield preservative paired with the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit extraction yielded more detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA from stool than the OMNIgene-GUT kit or storage without preservative. This supports decentralised diagnostics by establishing a validated method for preserving and analysing self-collected stool samples, enabling reliable detection of viral shedding for epidemiology and patient management.
Standardized preservation, extraction and quantification techniques for detection of fecal SARS-CoV-2 RNA — Natarajan et al., Nature communications
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- serology
2021
Shotgun metagenomics showed the Copan FLOQSwab in an active drying tube had the best technical and compositional reproducibility among five room temperature methods, outperforming RNALater and OMNIgene-GUT, while LifeGuard and a dry BBL swab allowed unpredictable Escherichia outgrowth; in a further 239-sample evaluation the FLOQSwab-ADT maintained performance across -20 °C, room temperature and 50 °C for four weeks, making it an excellent alternative to existing room temperature stabilisation for stool microbiome diagnostics.
Critical evaluation of faecal microbiome preservation using metagenomic analysis — Pribyl et al., ISME communications
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- microbiome
2020
A multi-institution workshop made the case for a characterised whole-stool reference material so microbiome measurements can be standardised across labs, addressing the absence of defined faecal inputs.
Toward a human whole-stool reference material for metabolomic and metagenomic gut-microbiome measurements — Mandal et al., Metabolomics
- standardised-input
- metabolome
- standards
- microbiome
- metagenomics
- stool
- validation
2020
A study of three children found that the region of stool sampled did not change microbial alpha diversity, while 22 of 176 metabolites varied; homogenising the stool mattered for metabolomics and short room-temperature storage had little effect, which supports simpler home collection protocols within the limits of so small a study.
Impact of sampling regions and storage methods on fecal gut microbiome and metabolome profiles — Liang et al., mSphere
- standardised-input
- metabolome
- microbiome
- pediatric
- stool
- validation
2020
Microbiome profiles remained stable in OMNIgene GUT for 21 days at room temperature and metabolite abundance relationships were preserved, though absolute abundances varied slightly. This supports using a single stool collection procedure with OMNIgene GUT to obtain both microbiome and metabolome data for decentralised diagnostics.
Changes in microbiome and metabolomic profiles of fecal samples stored with stabilizing solution at room temperature: a pilot study — Lim et al., Scientific reports
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- microbiome
- metabolome
2020
Over half of emergency department patients offered the choice elected to self-collect their own stool sample for faecal occult blood testing, and every self-collected specimen was adequate for analysis. Younger patients were significantly more likely to choose self-collection, suggesting that offering this option could enhance patient autonomy while maintaining diagnostic quality in decentralised care settings.
"Your Finger or Mine?"-Patient Preferences in the Collection of Fecal Occult Blood Testing in the Emergency Department — Freeman et al., Military medicine (paywalled)
- stool
- self-collection
- acceptability
2020
Stock solutions including OMNIgene-Gut maintained stable gut microbial profiles in stool for up to two months at room temperature, supporting their use over freezing for decentralised gut microbiome analysis.
Performance comparison of fecal preservative and stock solutions for gut microbiome storage at room temperature — Park et al., Journal of microbiology (paywalled)
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- microbiome
2020
The authors validated an automated DNA extraction method for stool microbiome analysis and found that seven stabilising solutions, including OMNIgene•GUT, RNAlater and AquaStool, preserved microbiome composition as well as snap-freezing. OMNIgene•GUT maintained sample integrity for two years at -80°C. This supports decentralised stool collection for microbiome studies by enabling ambient stabilisation and delayed laboratory processing.
Method Validation for Extraction of DNA from Human Stool Samples for Downstream Microbiome Analysis — Neuberger-Castillo et al., Biopreservation and biobanking (paywalled)
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- microbiome
2019
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.
Gut microbiome comparability of fresh-frozen versus stabilised-frozen samples by 16S and shotgun metagenomics — Ilett et al., Scientific Reports
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- microbiome
- metagenomics
- validation
2019
An analysis of self-collected stool samples from 1,674 adults aged 18 to 74 found that migration and environmental factors shape the gut microbiome, with lower bacterial diversity linked to obesity. While this cross-sectional design limits causal inference, it shows the viability of decentralised sample collection for large-scale epidemiological studies.
Gut microbiome composition in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos is shaped by geographic relocation, environmental factors, and obesity — Kaplan et al., Genome biology
- stool
- self-collection
- microbiome
2019
This study compared four stool collection methods for infant gut microbiome analysis via post and found that the OMNIgene•GUT kit showed the closest agreement with the frozen standard compared to swabs or plain tubes. The findings suggest that stabilised collection offers a viable decentralised solution for parents to sample infant stool at home with minimal DNA degradation.
Gut microbiome analysis by post: Evaluation of the optimal method to collect stool samples from infants within a national cohort study — Williams et al., PloS one
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- self-collection
- validation
- pediatric
- microbiome
2018
A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to raise colorectal cancer screening participation, including mailed outreach of home collection kits.
Evaluation of Interventions Intended to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis — Dougherty et al., JAMA Internal Medicine (paywalled)
- acceptability
- self-collection
- colorectal
- stool
- fit
2018
FTA cards and OMNIgene GUT demonstrated strong concordance with immediate freezing for gut microbiome diversity and short-chain fatty acid measurements, while ethanol preserved the most metabolites overall. These stabilised collection methods enable reliable, decentralised stool sampling for large-scale microbiome and metabolomics studies.
Comparison of Fecal Collection Methods for Microbiome and Metabolomics Studies — Wang et al., Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- microbiome
- metabolome
2018
The OMNIgene•GUT kit proved reliable for stool microsampling and ambient storage, with samples stored at room temperature for seven days showing comparable bacterial DNA quantity and diversity to fresh samples; transient phylum-level differences were seen at 24 hours but not at seven days. This supports decentralised, patient-centric microbiome research by enabling home self-collection and postal transport, while emphasising that DNA extraction method has greater impact on microbiome profiles than storage conditions.
Reliability of a participant-friendly fecal collection method for microbiome analyses: a step towards large sample size investigation — Szopinska et al., BMC microbiology
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- self-collection
- validation
- microbiome
2017
Expressing taxa as cells per gram of stool showed faecal microbial load varies ~10-fold between healthy people and drives apparent compositional differences: relative-abundance data alone can misrepresent quantitative change.
Quantitative microbiome profiling links gut community variation to microbial load — Vandeputte et al., Nature (paywalled)
- stool
- microbiome
- standardised-input
- validation
2017
Testing 58 IBD patients, 50 IBS patients, and 33 controls found that measuring calprotectin and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) in self-collected colorectal mucus distinguishes these groups, P<0.05. This patient-centric, decentralised method successfully monitored disease activity at days 10, 20, and 30, though the authors note EDN performance requires further validation.
Inflammatory bowel disease detection and monitoring by measuring biomarkers in non-invasively collected colorectal mucus — Loktionov et al., Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology (paywalled)
- stool
- self-collection
- colorectal
- biomarkers
2017
Gammaproteobacteria proliferate in stool samples shipped at room temperature, distorting microbiome profiles. A computational correction method that removes sequences from these blooming taxa enables reliable microbiome analysis from self-collected samples sent without cold chain, producing results comparable to frozen specimens.
Correcting for Microbial Blooms in Fecal Samples during Room-Temperature Shipping — Amir et al., mSystems
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- self-collection
- validation
- microbiome
2017
In a community-based cohort of elderly men, remote stool self-collection using the OMNIgene·GUT kit achieved high participation and sample adequacy, with mailed samples yielding high-quality DNA for microbiome profiling; this supports decentralised, patient-centric stool sampling for large-scale research.
Successful collection of stool samples for microbiome analyses from a large community-based population of elderly men — Abrahamson et al., Contemporary clinical trials communications
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- self-collection
- acceptability
- microbiome
2016
Testing 15 individuals and over 1,200 samples, this study found that 95% ethanol, FTA cards, and the OMNIgene Gut kit maintain stool microbiome stability at ambient temperatures for eight weeks. This enables robust decentralised sampling, though sponsors must use a single method to prevent batch effects and avoid 70% ethanol.
Preservation Methods Differ in Fecal Microbiome Stability, Affecting Suitability for Field Studies — Song et al., mSystems
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- microbiome
2016
The study found that ambient temperature collection and stabilisation of stool using the DNA Genotek OMNIgene·Gut device yielded the same data reproducibility as freezing and higher recovery of nucleic acids, enabling standardised global collection and analysis for microbiome studies.
A robust ambient temperature collection and stabilization strategy: Enabling worldwide functional studies of the human microbiome — Anderson et al., Scientific reports
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- microbiome
- stool
- validation
2016
This pilot study found that a self-administered anal swabbing technique for collecting colorectal mucus was rated as acceptable by 96% of participants and yielded samples suitable for cytology and protein analysis. The method successfully detected elevated mucin 2 levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, indicating its potential for non-invasive screening.
Assessment of cytology and mucin 2 in colorectal mucus collected from patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Results of a pilot trial — Loktionov et al., Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology (paywalled)
- acceptability
- self-collection
- colorectal
- stool
- biomarkers
2016
OMNIgene GUT vials improved stool DNA quality by reducing shearing, but storage for one week altered microbiota composition in pooled infant and elderly data, with infant samples more affected. For decentralised collection, extraction within the first week and a consistent storage regime are advisable.
Effect of room temperature transport vials on DNA quality and phylogenetic composition of faecal microbiota of elderly adults and infants — Hill et al., Microbiome
- stool
- stabilised
- dna-genotek-omnigene
- validation
- pediatric
- microbiome
2015
The Powermicrobiome Kit yielded the best RNA from stool, and RNA Later preserved mRNA integrity for six days at room temperature, though it introduced taxonomic and functional bias. RNA Protect was unsuitable beyond 24 hours. These findings support decentralised stool collection for metatranscriptomics but highlight the need to account for stabilisation reagent effects.
Stool metatranscriptomics: A technical guideline for mRNA stabilisation and isolation — Reck et al., BMC genomics
- stool
- stabilised
- validation
- microbiome
2014
Mailed at-home stool self-collection was feasible: ~20% of those approached enrolled and ~80% of those returned a usable specimen: workable, but recruitment depends on active, well-timed follow-up.
Feasibility of self-collection of fecal specimens by randomly sampled women for gut-microbiome studies — Feigelson et al., BMC Research Notes
- self-collection
- microbiome
- stool
- urine
- validation
2014
Pooling 19 studies, FIT for colorectal cancer showed ~0.79 sensitivity and ~0.94 specificity: a moderately sensitive, highly specific single-sample stool screen, dependent on the positivity cut-off.
Accuracy of Fecal Immunochemical Tests for Colorectal Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis — Lee et al., Annals of Internal Medicine
- stool
- colorectal
- fit
- validation
2014
This study validated self-collected stool and saliva for microbiome profiling, finding that microbial species and gene abundances were highly concordant across different preservation methods including freezing, ethanol, and RNAlater. These results support the feasibility of decentralised sampling for functional gut microbiota research.
Relating the metatranscriptome and metagenome of the human gut — Franzosa et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (paywalled)
- multimodal
- self-collection
- microbiome
- stool
- validation
- saliva
- multi-omics
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