Table 1 Recommendations for improved reliability and consistency in human microbiome studies
From: DNA extraction for human microbiome studies: the issue of standardization
#1 | Collect and process negative controls at each of the following points: during sample collection, DNA extraction, and sequencing |
#2 | Include at least one or more of the following three types of positive controls in each experiment, depending on study: a complex environmental sample, chemostat community, or mock community |
#3 | Report in detail the DNA extraction methods followed and sufficient information regarding the results from both positive and negative controls in a manner that allows for peer-review and reproducibility |
#4 | Utilize the same DNA extraction protocol across studies for multi-institute or multi-site studies |
#5 | Demonstrate “proof-of-life” beyond sequencing in low-biomass studies using microbial culture and/or FISH |