BEExact: a Metataxonomic Database Tool for High-Resolution Inference of Bee-Associated Microbial Communities

Abstract

The failure of current universal taxonomic databases to support the rapidly expanding field of bee microbiota research has led to many investigators relying on “in-house” reference sets or manual classification of sequence reads (usually based on BLAST searches), often with vague identity thresholds and subjective taxonomy choices. This time expensive, error- and bias-prone process lacks standardization, cripples the potential for comparative cross-study analysis, and in many cases is likely to sway study conclusions.