Microbiome profiling through next-generation sequencing (NGS) enables the detection of a wide range of species, including:
- Bacteria: All bacterial species with published sequences in the NCBI nucleotide database can be identified.
- Archaea: Archaeal species represented in the NCBI database can also be detected.
- Fungi: Fungal species can be identified through the analysis of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions or 18S region, provided their sequences are available in the NCBI database.
- Cyanobacteria: Currently, identification of cyanobacteria is not possible due to the limitations of the existing primer setup. If cyanobacteria are a key focus for your study, we recommend exploring alternative primer sets or methodologies that are specifically designed for their amplification and detection.
Important considerations:
- Resolution Limits: Closely related species with nearly identical DNA sequences may not be distinguishable, and results will typically report only at the genus or family level.
- Sample Quality: The quality of the DNA and the specific regions targeted can impact the detection capabilities.
- Database Coverage: The identification of species relies on the completeness and accuracy of the reference sequences in the NCBI database.