Clinical metagenomic sequencing
Clinical Metagenomic Sequencing (klin-i-kal met-uh-je-no-mik see-kwens-ing) is a method used in the field of Microbiology and Genomics to identify and study microbial communities directly from their natural environments, most notably in clinical samples from patients. This technique bypasses the need for isolation and lab cultivation of individual species, which is a significant limitation of traditional microbiological techniques.
Etymology
The term "metagenomics" is derived from the Greek word "meta," which means "beyond," and "genomics," referring to the study of genomes. It was first used in the late 1990s to describe the study of genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples.
Procedure
Clinical metagenomic sequencing involves the extraction of DNA from a clinical sample, followed by sequencing of the extracted DNA. The resulting sequences are then analyzed using bioinformatics tools to identify the microbial species present in the sample and their relative abundances. This method can detect not only bacteria, but also viruses, fungi, and parasites, providing a comprehensive view of the microbial community in the sample.
Applications
Clinical metagenomic sequencing has been used in various medical fields, including Infectious Diseases, Oncology, and Gastroenterology. It has been particularly useful in diagnosing infections caused by rare or novel pathogens, as well as in studying the role of the microbiome in health and disease.
Related Terms
- Microbiome: The collective genomes of the microorganisms that reside in an environmental niche.
- Next-Generation Sequencing: A high-throughput DNA sequencing technology that has revolutionized genomics research.
- Bioinformatics: An interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Clinical metagenomic sequencing
- Wikipedia's article - Clinical metagenomic sequencing
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