16S rRNA lung microbiota study in mechanically ventilated patient: a pilot study. PAVM-Methods

Characterization of the respiratory tract bacterial microbiota is in its infancy when compared to the gut microbiota knowledge. As key methodological steps can directly affect the accuracy of the results, it is crucial to determine a robust methodology in order to limit bias.We compared two methods of sample processing using these two different pairs of primers for bacterial microbiota analyses of respiratory samples from Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ventilated patients.