The Latest Methods of Gut Microbiome Analysis

Abstract

Recently the number of studies of gut microbiome has been rapidly increasing, and the analysis techniques supporting the development of research in this field have been improving in tandem. The mainstream method of gut microbiome analysis started with culture-based methods, progressed to 16S rRNA analysis, and is currently transitioning to metagenomic analysis. Metagenomic analysis has contributed to an increase in the amount of information; however, handling and interpreting metagenomic data is comparatively difficult. Furthermore, there are few reports in the literature which introduce the workflows of metagenomic analyses in detail. In this review, we introduce the various kinds of gut microbiome analysis, the workflows of each method, and the latest analysis techniques for both beginners and advanced learners.