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Updated: Jan 5, 2026

Efficient Nucleic Acid Extraction and 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing for Bacterial Community Characterization
Published on: April 14, 2016
DNA extraction for human microbiome studies: the issue of standardization
K Leigh Greathouse1, Rashmi Sinha2, Emily Vogtmann2
1Nutrition Sciences, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA. Leigh_Greathouse@baylor.edu.
Abstract:
Among the laboratory and bioinformatic processing steps for human microbiome studies, a lack of consistency in DNA extraction methodologies is hindering the ability to compare results between studies and sometimes leading to errant conclusions. The purpose of this article is to highlight the issues related to DNA extraction methods and to suggest minimum standard requirements that should be followed to ensure consistency and reproducibility.

