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Understanding and interpreting community sequencing measurements of the vaginal microbiome
Author(s) -
Berman HL,
McLaren MR,
Callahan BJ
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/1471-0528.15978
Subject(s) - metagenomics , microbiome , amplicon sequencing , shotgun sequencing , computational biology , dna sequencing , biology , deep sequencing , amplicon , genomic sequencing , bioinformatics , genetics , genome , polymerase chain reaction , gene , 16s ribosomal rna
Community‐wide high‐throughput sequencing has transformed the study of the vaginal microbiome, and clinical applications are on the horizon. Here we outline the three main community sequencing methods: (1) amplicon sequencing, (2) shotgun metagenomic sequencing, and (3) metatranscriptomic sequencing. We discuss the advantages and limitations of community sequencing generally, and the unique strengths and weaknesses of each method. We briefly review the contributions of community sequencing to vaginal microbiome research and practice. We develop suggestions for critically interpreting research results and potential clinical applications based on community sequencing of the vaginal microbiome. Tweetable abstract We review the advantages and limitations of amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, and metatranscriptomics methods for the study of the vaginal microbiome.