Systematic quantification and removal of host DNA contamination in 16S rRNA gene sequencing
Till Birkner, Theda Ulrike Patricia Bartolomaeus, Victoria McParland, Sofia Kirke Forslund‐Startceva, Ulrike Löber · 2026
Read Systematic quantification and removal of host DNA contamination in 16S rRNA gene sequencing by Till Birkner, Theda Ulrike Patricia Bartolomaeus, Victoria McParland, Sofia Kirke Forslund‐Startceva, Ulrike Löber (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13642109.txt.
Description
Till Birkner and co-authors charted in 2026 how host DNA fouls a standard gene read of microbe crowds. The read targets a gene found in all germs. In thin samples, such as swabs with few germs, the host's own DNA can be copied by mistake and swamp the germ signal. The team built a fake germ mix, thinned it step by step, and spiked it with set shares of human DNA.
Off-target copies surged once germs fell below a tenth of the mix. Total DNA amount alone caused little skew. A filter applied after groups were formed stripped near all host reads while counts of true germs held. The team gives labs a clear playbook for thin-sample work.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Till Birkner, Theda Ulrike Patricia Bartolomaeus, Victoria McParland, Sofia Kirke Forslund‐Startceva, Ulrike Löber |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 49 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |