Freeze-drying can replace cold-chains for transport and storage of fecal microbiome samples

PeerJ

article

Hanna M. Bensch¹  Conny Tolf¹  Jonas Waldenström¹  Daniel Lundin¹  Markus Zöttl¹ 

[1] Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems ,(EEMIS), Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University;Kalahari Research Centre

关键词: Microbiome;    16S;    Fecal samples;    DNA metabarcoding;    Fukomys damarensis;    Damaraland mole-rat;    Amplicon;    Freeze-drying;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.13095

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe transport and storage of samples in temperatures of minus 80 °C is commonly considered as the gold standard for microbiome studies. However, studies conducting sample collection at remote sites without a reliable cold-chain would benefit from a sample preservation method that allows transport and storage at ambient temperature.MethodsIn this study we compare alpha diversity and 16S microbiome composition of 20 fecal sample replicates from Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) preserved in a minus 80 °C freezer and transported on dry ice to freeze-dried samples that were stored and transported in ambient temperature until DNA extraction.ResultsWe found strong correlations between relative abundances of Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) between preservation treatments of the sample, no differences in alpha diversity measures between the two preservation treatments and minor effects of the preservation treatment on beta diversity measures. Our results show that freeze-drying samples can be a useful method for cost-effective transportation and storage of microbiome samples that yields quantitatively almost indistinguishable results in 16S microbiome analyses as those stored in minus 80 °C.

【 授权许可】

CC BY