Decoding microbial diversity with automated PCR techniques

An understanding of the microbial communities, colonising the gastrointestinal tract of production animals is paramount as it affects animal health and performance. Microbial ecology techniques can provide further insight into their affects on the host says Karina Horgan. Traditionally, researchers have used culturing in order to investigate microbial diversity. However, in recent years the shortcomings of this technique, namely the difficulty of characterising microorganisms prior to their is