Background: There is an increasing interest to better understand endosymbiont capabilities in insects both from an ecological point of view and for pest control. Blochmannia floridanus provides important nutrients for its host, the ant Camponotus, while the bacterium in return is provided with a niche to proliferate. Blochmannia floridanus proteins and metabolites are difficult to study due to its endosymbiontic life style; however, its complete genome sequence became recently available.

Over the past 6 years, next generation sequencing (NGS) has been established as a valuable high-throughput method for research in molecular genetics and has successfully been employed in the identifi cation of rare and common genetic variations. All major NGS technology companies providing commercially available instruments (Roche 454, Illumina, Life Technologies) have recently marketed bench top sequencing instruments with lower throughput and shorter run times, thereby broadening the applications of NGS and opening the technology to the potential use for clinical diagnostics. Although the high expectations regarding the discovery of new diagnostic targets and an overall reduction of cost have been achieved, technological challenges in instrument handling, robustness of the chemistry and data analysis need to be overcome. To facilitate the implementation of NGS as a routine method in molecular diagnostics, consistent quality standards need to be developed. Here the authors give an overview of the current standards in protocols and workfl ows and discuss possible approaches to defi ne quality criteria for NGS in molecular genetic diagnostics.Keywords: bioinformatics; genetic variation; Illumina; library preparation; Life Technologies; molecular genetics; molecular genetic diagnostics; next generation sequencing (NGS); rare diseases; Roche. ZusammenfassungIn den vergangenen 6 Jahren hat sich " next generation sequencing " (NGS) als wichtige Hochdurchsatz-Methode f ü r die molekulargenetische Forschung etabliert und wurde erfolgreich zur Identifi kation seltener und h ä ufi ger genetischer Varianten eingesetzt. Alle gr ö ß eren NGS-Technologieunternehmen, die bisher kommerziell erh ä ltliche Ger ä te zu Verf ü gung stellten (Roche 454, Illumina, Life Technologies), haben vor kurzem auch "benchtop " -Ger ä te mit geringerem Durchsatz und k ü rzeren Laufzeiten auf den Markt gebracht, wodurch die Anwendungsgebiete erweitert und der Technologie der m ö gliche Einsatz in der klinischen Diagnostik er ö ffnet wurde. W ä hrend die hohen Erwartungen hinsichtlich der Entdeckung neuer diagnostischer Zielstrukturen und einer Senkung der Kosten erreicht wurden, m ü ssen etliche technologische Herausforderungen hinsichtlich Bedienung der Ger ä te, Robustheit der Chemie und Handhabung der Datenanalyse noch gemeistert werden. Um die Einf ü hrung von NGS in die Routinediagnostik zu erleichtern, m ü ssen nachhaltige Qualit ä tsstandards entwickelt werden. Im Folgenden geben die Autoren einen Ü berblick ü ber die gegenw ä rtigen Standards in den Protokollen und Arbeitsabl ä ufen und diskutieren m ö gliche Ans ä tze Qualit ä tskriterien f ü r NGS in der molekulargenetischen Diagnostik zu defi nieren.

Over the past 6 years, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been established as a valuable highthroughput method for research in molecular genetics and has successfully been employed in the identification of rare and common genetic variations. Although the high expectations regarding the discovery of new diagnostic targets and an overall reduction of cost have been achieved, technological challenges in instrument handling, robustness of the chemistry, and data analysis need to be overcome. Each workflow and sequencing platform have their particular problems and caveats, which need to be addressed. Regarding NGS, there is a variety of different enrichment methods, sequencing devices, or technologies as well as a multitude of analyzing software products available. In this manuscript, the authors focus on challenges in data analysis when employing different target enrichment methods and the best applications for each of them.

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BackgroundAntibiotic resistance is emerging as a global public threat. However, it remains poorly investigated in the context of periodontal therapy. The aim of the study was to investigate the complete diversity of antibiotic resistance genes in a German population.MethodsThirty‐nine volunteers with periodontitis contributed to the present study with one to four periodontal pockets for a total of 124 subgingival samples. Samples were analyzed using shotgun metagenomics.ResultsA total of 19 antibiotic resistance genes from six antibiotic classes were detected in subgingival biofilm. Two thirds of the volunteers (n = 26/39) showed antibiotic resistance genes for at least one of the antibiotic classes used for periodontal treatment in dental practice or research: beta‐lactam, lincosamide, macrolide, nitroimidazole, and tetracycline. Macrolide was the most abundant class detected (21/39 patients).ConclusionsFindings from our study suggest a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in periodontal pockets from German volunteers. We recommend the development and broader use of molecular diagnostic tests for antibiotic resistance in dental practice to ensure treatment success and to minimize antibiotic resistance.