The Effect of Propidium Monoazide Treatment on Identification of Bacterial Communities of Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infant Faeces Analysed by 16s rRNA Gene Sequencing. PMA study

Next-gen sequencing technology had provided a platform for rapid advancement in the field of microbial ecology. The 11 original bacterial phyla, identified by Woese, have been expanded to over 50 following widespread use of NGS techniques. However, NGS is not without it’s flaws. This study will attempt to improve the validity of the NGS protocol by validating the use of propidium monoazide: a dsDNA chelating agent; for non-viable cell exclusion from clinical samples. This will enable researchers and clinicians to identify bacterial phyla actively affecting the biotopes of the preterm infant gut and tailor targeted therapy accordingly.