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Bacterial identification and characterisation service

The service includes:

Identification of Bacteria by 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing

Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene is commonly used for identification of bacteria as it is a highly conserved component of the translational machinery of all bacteria and is highly suited as a target gene for universal identification. The sequence obtained from the isolate is compared to a comprehensive public database to provide taxonomic placement.

MultiLocus Sequence Typing (MLST)

MLST is a procedure for unambiguous sub-species discrimination of bacterial isolates of a variety of common species using the sequences of internal fragments of several house-keeping genes.  MLST data can also be used to determine mutation and recombination rates in the bacterial population and may be useful for epidemiological tracing and source attribution.

Whole Genome Sequencing

Whole genome sequencing provides the ultimate characterisation of any organism. We can generate a draft de novo assembly of the genome or raw data mapped to any reference bacterial genome provided by the customer. Additional information such as MLST, antibiotic resistance determinants and virulence genes can also be extracted from the raw data.

Microbial Community Profiling

This service provides data to determine the relative abundance of all bacterial taxa found in complex samples including faeces, soil or clinical specimens. Next generation platforms are used to generate thousands of potentially different 16S rRNA gene sequences from each sample.

Bacterial identification and characterisation leaflet

To discuss your requirements please contact our Customer Services Team

Tel:  +44 (0)3000 600001
Email: aphascientific@apha.gov.uk

Page last modified: 19 May, 2022