Whole lung tissue is the preferred sampling method for murine lung microbiota

The goal of this experiment was to determine the optimal specimen type for amplicon-based sequencing of the lung microbial communities in mice. Healthy adult C57BL/6 mice were sacrificed and either whole lung tissue or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected, along with cecum and tongue tissue samples. Following DNA isolation from tissue samples and controls, bacterial communities were characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.