Table 5.

Definition of molecular techniques used by studies in the review

Technique name	Definition
Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH)	Molecular cytogenic analysis using fluorescent probes to detect, quantify and map genetic material.
Flow cytometry	Analysis of the frequency and other properties of cells stained with specific fluorochrome conjugated antibodies to identify bacteria, their viability, and their DNA content.
16s rRNA sequencing	Amplification of a piece of RNA (amplicon) and sequencing to identify and compare bacteria within a sample.
DNA extraction	Purification of DNA using physical and chemical methods
Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)	Sequencing of DNA and RNA with different technologies
Whole genome shotgun sequencing	Comprehensive sampling of all genes in all organisms present to evaluate diversity and study ‘difficult to culture’ microorganisms.