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Updated: May 17, 2026
11:23
Purifying the Impure: Sequencing Metagenomes and Metatranscriptomes from Complex Animal-associated Samples
Published on: December 22, 2014
Ocean viruses: rigorously evaluating the metagenomic sample-to-sequence pipeline
Melissa B Duhaime1, Matthew B Sullivan
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Virology
|October 23, 2012
Summary
New viral metagenomic sequencing methods enable accurate analysis of even small DNA samples. This approach improves the study of viruses in diverse ecosystems, enhancing biological insights from replicable datasets.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Metagenomics
- Ecosystems
Background:
- Viruses are crucial in natural and man-made ecosystems, yet knowledge is limited by culturable viruses and unverified methods.
- Traditional methods rely on culturable viruses, representing a small fraction of viral diversity.
- Existing techniques often lack sufficient ground-truthing for comprehensive viral community analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review modern culture-independent viral metagenomic pipelines.
- To assess how next-generation sequencing advances viral metagenomic evaluation.
- To present methods for generating replicable, near-quantitative viral datasets from low-biomass samples.
Main Methods:
- Review of culture-independent viral metagenomic sample-to-sequence workflows.
- Application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies.
- Quantitative evaluation of established and novel viral detection and analysis methods.
Main Results:
- Next-generation sequencing significantly enhances the systematic evaluation of viral metagenomes.
- New methods allow for replicable, near-quantitative data generation even from ultra-low DNA samples.
- Improved inter-comparability and biological inference are achievable with optimized pipelines.
Conclusions:
- Modern viral metagenomics, powered by NGS, offers rigorous evaluation of viral communities.
- The reviewed methods provide robust tools for studying viruses across diverse environments.
- Accurate viral datasets from low-biomass samples are now feasible, advancing ecological and biological understanding.
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