Microbiome

Library sizes obtained by 16S gene sequencing data are usually seen as arbitrary. But are they? Can we make them meaningful, both biologically and mathematically? Yes, we can.

Bacteria are ubiquitous in hospital environments, in many cases threatening infection control. In this study, we use next-generation sequencing to track down these bacteria in intensive care units (ICUs) from a Brazilian hospital for a one-year period, covering environmental samples, hospital staff, and patients. We keep track of neonatal and adult ICUs and report abundance and diversity results as well as microbial resistance profiles.