New PreMiEr Manuscript: Long-Read Sequencing Gives a Clearer Picture of Indoor Fungal Communities

5/15/26 News 1 min read

A new PreMiEr manuscript finds that long-read DNA sequencing provides greater species-level detail for profiling fungal communities in indoor environments compared to short-read methods, offering practical guidance for indoor mycobiome researchers.

Duke Chapel — New PreMiEr Manuscript: Long-Read Sequencing Gives a Clearer Picture of Indoor Fungal Communities

A new PreMiEr study comparing two DNA sequencing approaches for profiling fungi in indoor environments finds that longer reads provide meaningfully better resolution, particularly at the species level. Researchers tested short-read Illumina ITS2 sequencing against long-read PacBio HiFi full-length ITS sequencing across samples from homes, dormitories, and laboratories. While both methods captured similar overall community patterns, the full-length approach was better at distinguishing fungal communities by location and sample type. The manuscript, currently submitted for publication, offers practical guidance for researchers choosing sequencing strategies for indoor mycobiome studies.