SINTAX: a simple non-Bayesian taxonomy classifier for 16S and ITS sequences

Robert C. Edgar

doi:10.1101/074161

SINTAX: a simple non-Bayesian taxonomy classifier for 16S and ITS sequences

Robert C. Edgar

説明

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Metagenomics experiments often characterize microbial communities by sequencing the ribosomal 16S and ITS regions. Taxonomy prediction is a fundamental step in such studies. The SINTAX algorithm predicts taxonomy by using<jats:italic>k</jats:italic>-mer similarity to identify the top hit in a reference database and provides bootstrap confidence for all ranks in the prediction. SINTAX achieves comparable or better accuracy to the RDP Naive Bayesian Classifier with a simpler algorithm that does not require training. Most tested methods are shown to have high rates of over-classification errors where novel taxa are incorrectly predicted to have known names.</jats:p>