Nucleic acid contamination from extraction reagents can introduce foreign genetic material into samples, leading to misinterpretation of microbiome data, potentially leading to erroneous conclusions and compromising the validity of research or clinical findings.  

Dr. Po Ren Hsueh conducted a comprehensive investigation into the background microflora in common DNA extraction reagents used for metagenomic sequencing.

The study, featured at ASM Microbe 2024, showed:

• Micronbrane Medical had lower levels of contamination compared to other brands.
• The importance of manufacturers providing lot-specific data to ensure accurate mNGS results.
• Spurious microbial calls were observed, likely due to random environmental contamination events, indicating the significant role of environmental factors.