Strain-level profiling yields new insights into mother-infant microbiomes

Direct microbial sequencing of environmental samples, such as from ocean water, hospital surfaces, and the human gut, have illuminated the vast number of microbes present in our world. However, a microbial species can be genetically diverse, and this variability is often not captured during metagenomic analysis. In a new study, scientists developed a new tool to examine genetic differences within bacterial species and uncover novel transmission patterns in mother-infant microbiomes and marine me...