Spike-in genomic DNA for validating performance of metagenomics workflows

Shotgun metagenomics is a powerful platform to characterize human microbiomes. However, to translate such survey data into consumer-relevant products or services, it is critical to have a robust metagenomics workflow. We present a tool – spike-in DNA – to assess performance of metagenomics workflows. The spike-in is DNA from two organisms – Alivibrio fischeri and Rhodopseudomonas palustris, in a ratio of 4:1 added to samples before DNA extraction. With a valid workflow, the output ratio of relative abundances of these organisms should be close to 4. This expectation was tested in samples of varying diversities (n = 110), and the mean ratio was 4.73 (99% CI [4.0, 5.24]). We anticipate this tool to be a relevant community resource for assessing the quality of shotgun metagenomics workflows and thereby enable robust characterization of microbiomes.