Figure 8. Taxonomic utility of 16S sequence data varies by technology, 16S window, and sample type.

The fraction of successfully classified 3730 and 454 sequences obtained from the MC (A) and clinical samples representing four major body regions (B) is plotted at different taxonomic levels from genus to phylum. Classification was performed on quality and chimera-filtered sequences and considered to be successful if the RDP Classifier result had a confidence score above 80%. In panel B, 454 results include only window V3–V5.