Genomic 'noise' yields 18 unknown bacterial species in prostate cancer patients
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A University of East Anglia team re-examined existing sequencing data from 194 prostate cancer patients, retaining non-human reads that are normally filtered out as noise. Across 2,176 PPCG sequencing datasets, metagenomic assembly reconstructed 249 near-complete bacterial genomes, 24 of which matched no species on record, defining 18 previously undocumented bacteria. The study gives tentative names to 16 of the new organisms and develops a precise DNA test for one species. The work expands the known prostate microbiome, but whether any of these bacteria contribute to prostate cancer remains an open question.
Written by a model from the reports · updated 3 hours ago
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- Medical XpressPickDNA once dismissed as 'noise' reveals new bacterial species in prostate cancer patients
A University of East Anglia team reconstructed 249 near-complete bacterial genomes from existing sequencing data of 194 prostate cancer patients, identifying 18 previously unrecorded bacterial species. The team screened 2,176 PPCG sequencing datasets, retaining non-human reads normally filtered out as noise and rebuilding genomes through metagenomic assembly; 24 of the genomes matched no existing species records. The study assigned provisional names to 16 of the new organisms and developed a precise DNA test for one species, but whether these bacteria contribute to prostate cancer remains unclear.
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