Concatenation of paired-end reads improves taxonomic classification of amplicons for profiling microbial communities.

Background: Taxonomic classification of genetic markers for microbiome analysis is affected by the numerous choices made from sample preparation to bioinformatics analysis. Paired-end read merging is routinely used to capture the entire amplicon sequence when the read ends overlap. However, the exclusion of unmerged reads from further analysis can result in underestimating the diversity in the sequenced microbial community and is influenced by bioinformatic processes such as read trimming and the choice of reference database.

The Challenges of Microbial Control of Mosquito-Borne Diseases Due to the Gut Microbiome.

Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals on earth because of their ability to transmit a wide range of human pathogens. Traditional mosquito control methods use chemical insecticides, but with dwindling long-term effectiveness and negative effects on the environment, microbial forms of control have become common alternatives. The insecticide subspecies (Bti) is the most popular of these alternatives, although it can also have direct effects on lowering environmental biodiversity and indirect effects on food-web relationships in the ecosystems where it is deployed.