Work

Solving the Problem of Comparing Whole Bacterial Genomes across Different Sequencing Platforms

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: Whole genome sequencing (WGS) shows great potential for real-time monitoring and identification of infectious disease outbreaks. However, rapid and reliable comparison of data generated in multiple laboratories and using multiple technologies is essential. So far studies have focused on using one technology because each technology has a systematic bias making integration of data generated from different platforms difficult. We developed two different procedures for identifying variable sites and inferring phylogenies in WGS data across multiple platforms. The methods were evaluated on three bacterial data sets and sequenced on three different platforms (Illumina, 454, Ion Torrent). We show that the methods are able to overcome the systematic biases caused by the sequencers and infer the expected phylogenies. It is concluded that the cause of the success of these new procedures is due to a validation of all informative sites that are included in the analysis. The procedures are available as web tools.

Source: PLoS ONE

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104984

Authors: Rolf S. Kaas, Pimlapas Leekitcharoenphon, Frank M. Aarestrup, Ole Lund

Institution: Technical University of Denmark

Language: English

Topic: Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,382

Funders: Strategiske Forskningsråd, Center for Genomic Epidemiology