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Collection of non-meconium stool on fecal occult blood cards is an effective method for fecal microbiota studies in infants.

ABSTRACT: Effective methods are needed to collect fecal samples from children for large-scale microbiota studies. Stool collected on fecal occult blood test (FOBT) cards that can be mailed provides an effective solution; however, the quality of sequencing resulting from this method is unknown. The aim of this study is to compare microbiota metrics of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing from stool and meconium collected on FOBT cards with stool collected in an Eppendorf tube (ET) under different conditions.Eight stool samples from children in diapers aged 0 month-2 years and three meconium samples were collected and stored as follows: (1) ??2 days at room temperature (RT) in an ET, (2) 7 days at -?80 °C in an ET, (3) 3-5 days at RT on a FOBT card, (4) 7 days at RT on a FOBT card, and (5) 7 days at -?80 °C on a FOBT card. Samples stored at -?80 °C were frozen immediately. Each specimen/condition underwent 16S rRNA gene sequencing with replicates on the Illumina MiSeq. Alpha and beta diversity measures and relative abundance of major phyla were compared between storage conditions and container (ET vs. FOBT card), with pairwise comparison between different storage conditions and the "standard" of 7 days at -?80 °C in an ET and fresh stool in an ET.Stool samples clustered mainly by individual diaper (P < 10-5, Adonis), rather than by storage condition (P = 0.42) or container (P = 0.16). However, meconium samples clustered more by container (P = 0.002) than by individual diaper (P = 0.009) and storage condition (P = 0.02). Additionally, there were no differences in alpha diversity measures and relative abundance of major phyla after Bonferroni correction between stool stored on a FOBT card at RT for 7 days with stool stored in an ET tube at -?80 °C; differences in alpha diversity were seen however when compared to fresh stool in an ET. Overall, based on the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the different storage containers/conditions are reliable in preserving the microbial memberships and slightly less reliable in preserving the alpha diversity and relative microbial composition of infant stool.Acknowledging certain limitations, FOBT cards may be a useful tool in large-scale stool microbiota studies in children requiring outpatient follow-up where only small amounts of stool can be obtained, but should not be used when studying meconium.

SUBMITTER: Wong WSW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5583988 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Collection of non-meconium stool on fecal occult blood cards is an effective method for fecal microbiota studies in infants.

Wong Wendy S W WSW Clemency Nicole N Klein Elisabeth E Provenzano Marina M Iyer Ramaswamy R Niederhuber John E JE Hourigan Suchitra K SK

Microbiome 20170905 1

<h4>Background</h4>Effective methods are needed to collect fecal samples from children for large-scale microbiota studies. Stool collected on fecal occult blood test (FOBT) cards that can be mailed provides an effective solution; however, the quality of sequencing resulting from this method is unknown. The aim of this study is to compare microbiota metrics of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing from stool and meconium collected on FOBT cards with stool collected in an Eppendorf tube (ET) un ...[more]

PMID: 28870234

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Project description:BackgroundInfant botulism is the most prevalent form of botulism in the USA, representing 68.5 % of cases reported from 2001-2012. Infant botulism results when botulinum toxin-producing clostridia (BTPC) colonize the infant gut with concomitant in vivo production of the highly potent botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). The gut microbiota of infants with botulism is largely uncharacterized; therefore, it remains unclear whether the microbiota profile of these patients are distinct in composition, abundance, or diversity. To address this uncertainty, we employed 16S rRNA gene profiling to characterize the fecal microbiota in 14 stool samples among laboratory-confirmed and non-confirmed infant botulism cases.ResultsSeven bacterial phyla were identified among all 14 infant stool samples examined. Compared to samples from non-confirmed cases, the fecal microbiota of infant botulism patients displayed significantly higher Proteobacteria abundance. Of the 20 bacterial families identified, Enterobacteriaceae was significantly more abundant in samples from infants with botulism. Firmicutes abundance and the abundance ratio of Firmicutes/Proteobacteria was significantly lower in samples from infants with botulism. Lactobacillus spp. abundance was notably reduced in 12 of the 14 samples. Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium baratii were identified in low relative abundances in confirmed and non-confirmed samples based on their 16S rRNA gene profiles, although their toxigenicity remained undetermined. No significant differences were observed in the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) observed or in fecal microbiota diversity between laboratory-confirmed and non-confirmed samples. Correlations between individual phylum abundances and infant age were variable, and no significant differences were shown in number of OTUs observed or in fecal microbiota diversity between samples delineated by overall mean age.ConclusionsSignificant differences in Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Enterobacteriaceae abundances were identified in the fecal microbiota of infants with botulism when compared to samples from non-confirmed cases. Fecal microbiota diversity was not significantly altered in infants with botulism, and a limited presence of BTPC was shown. It could not be determined whether the fecal microbiota profiles shown here were comparable prior to patient illness, or whether they were the direct result of infant botulism. The results of this study do, however, provide a detailed and descriptive observation into the infant gut microbiota after intestinal colonization by BTPC.

Project description:To our knowledge, fecal microbiota collection methods have not been evaluated in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, we evaluated five different fecal sample collection methods for technical reproducibility, stability, and accuracy within the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Bangladesh. Fifty participants from the HEALS provided fecal samples in the clinic which were aliquoted into no solution, 95% ethanol, RNAlater, postdevelopment fecal occult blood test (FOBT) cards, and fecal immunochemical test (FIT) tubes. Half of the aliquots were frozen immediately at -80°C (day 0) and the remaining samples were left at ambient temperature for 96 h and then frozen (day 4). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for the relative abundances of the top three phyla, for two alpha diversity measures, and for four beta diversity measures. The duplicate samples had relatively high ICCs for technical reproducibility at day 0 and day 4 (range, 0.79 to 0.99). The FOBT card and samples preserved in RNAlater and 95% ethanol had the highest ICCs for stability over 4 days. The FIT tube had lower stability measures overall. In comparison to the "gold standard" method using immediately frozen fecal samples with no solution, the ICCs for many of the microbial metrics were low, but the rank order appeared to be preserved as seen by the Spearman correlation. The FOBT cards, 95% ethanol, and RNAlater were effective fecal preservatives. These fecal collection methods are optimal for future cohort studies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.IMPORTANCE The collection of fecal samples in prospective cohort studies is essential to provide the opportunity to study the effect of the human microbiota on numerous health conditions. However, these collection methods have not been adequately tested in low- and middle-income countries. We present estimates of technical reproducibility, stability at ambient temperature for 4 days, and accuracy comparing a "gold standard" for fecal samples in no solution, 95% ethanol, RNAlater, postdevelopment fecal occult blood test cards, and fecal immunochemical test tubes in a study conducted in Bangladesh. Fecal occult blood test cards and fecal samples stored in 95% ethanol or RNAlater adequately preserve fecal samples in this setting. Therefore, new studies in low- and middle-income countries should include collection of fecal samples using fecal occult blood test cards, 95% ethanol, or RNAlater for prospective cohort studies.

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Collection of non-meconium stool on fecal occult blood cards is an effective method for fecal microbiota studies in infants.

Publications

Collection of non-meconium stool on fecal occult blood cards is an effective method for fecal microbiota studies in infants.

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