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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Next-generation Sequencing of 16S Ribosomal RNA Gene Amplicons
Published on: August 29, 2014
Metagenomic next-generation sequencing: new horizons in microbiology
Nan Guo1,2,3,4, Shihan Chen5, Lina Guo6
1Research Center for Reverse Microbial Etiology, Workstation of Academician, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
None:
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in global health systems while accelerating the adoption of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) as a transformative tool for culture-independent, unbiased microbial detection. In clinical diagnostics, mNGS enables simultaneous detection of diverse pathogens without prior hypothesis, though its yield depends heavily on specimen type and clinical context. In public health, mNGS has demonstrated remarkable utility in outbreak tracing, novel pathogen discovery, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance, and One Health initiatives. However, massive data volumes pose persistent challenges in bioinformatics, standardization, and computational demands. Future integration of artificial intelligence, automated platforms, and multi-omics approaches will enhance the conversion of raw data into actionable insights. Collectively, mNGS is poised to drive a paradigm shift from reactive responses to proactive, system-level microbial surveillance across human, animal, and environmental health.
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