Comparative analysis of the sensitivity of metagenomic sequencing and PCR to detect a biowarfare simulant (Bacillus atrophaeus) in soil samples.
PLoS One 2017;
12:e0177112. [PMID:
28472119 PMCID:
PMC5417559 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0177112]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
To evaluate the sensitivity of high-throughput DNA sequencing for monitoring biowarfare agents in the environment, we analysed soil samples inoculated with different amounts of Bacillus atrophaeus, a surrogate organism for Bacillus anthracis. The soil samples considered were a poorly carbonated soil of the silty sand class, and a highly carbonated soil of the silt class. Control soil samples and soil samples inoculated with 10, 103, or 105 cfu were processed for DNA extraction. About 1% of the DNA extracts was analysed through the sequencing of more than 108 reads. Similar amounts of extracts were also studied for Bacillus atrophaeus DNA content by real-time PCR. We demonstrate that, for both soils, high-throughput sequencing is at least equally sensitive than real-time PCR to detect Bacillus atrophaeus DNA. We conclude that metagenomics allows the detection of less than 10 ppm of DNA from a biowarfare simulant in complex environmental samples.
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