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The Maintenance of Microbial Community in Human Fecal Samples by a Self-made Cost-effective Preservation Buffer


 In the burgeoning microbiome filed, powerful sequencing approaches and accompanied bioanalytical methods have made tremendous contributions to the discoveries of breakthroughs, which favor to unravel the intimate interplay between gut microbiota and human health. Maintaining sequencing samples is essential to guarantee the authenticity and reliability of microbiome studies. Hence, the development of preservation methods is extremely important to hold samples eligible for the consequent analysis, especially population cohort-based investigations or those spanning species or geography, which frequently facing difficulties in suppling freezing conditions. Although there are several commercial products available, the exploration of cost-efficient and ready-to-use preservation methods are still in a large demand. Here, we performed shotgun metagenomic sequencing and demonstrated that in a short-term storage, microbial consortia in human fecal samples were substantially maintained, independent of the storage temperature. We also verified a self-made preservation buffer could not only maintain fecal microbiota at ambient temperature up to several weeks but also enable samples to endure a high temperature condition which mimics temperature variations in summer logistics. Moreover, PB buffer exhibited suitability for human saliva as well. Collectively, PB buffer may be a valuable choice to stabilize sequencing samples if neither freezing facilities nor liquid nitrogen is available.