Issues

The cover image is adapted from Figure 4 in the article “Comparison of fecal sample collection methods for microbial analysis embedded within colorectal cancer screening programs,” by Zouiouich and colleagues. The original figure shows the accuracy of the relative abundance of the top ten genera differing by the collection method. Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs with fecal sample collection may provide a platform for population-based gut microbiome-disease research. The authors investigated the impact of sample collection and storage methods on the accuracy and stability of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA genes and bacterial quantity across seven different collection methods (i.e., no solution, two specimen collection cards, and four types of fecal immunochemical test (FIT) used in four countries) among 19 healthy volunteers. When compared to the putative gold standard, we significant variation was observed for all collection methods. However, inter-individual variability was much higher than the variability introduced by the collection method. Stability ICCs were high (≥0.75) for FIT tubes that underwent CRC screening procedures. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria (0.65) was an exception and was lower for different FIT tubes stored at 30°C (range, 0.41–0.90) and room temperature (range, 0.06–0.94). The findings inform on the utility of commonly used fecal sample collection methods for developing microbiome-focused cohorts nested within screening programs. For more information, see the article beginning on page 305.