MinION

MinION is a portable, rapid, cost-effective nanopore sequencing device that enables long-read sequencing of bacterial genomes. It allows for the simultaneous sequencing of entire chromosomes and plasmids, providing complete genomic information within a short timeframe. The MinION instrument, coupled with de novo genome assembly and a customized data analysis workflow using publicly available tools, can generate full-length genomes with high accuracy (99.87% for Salmonella Bareilly and 99.89% for E. coli O157:H7) in as little as four hours.

This technology facilitates quick identification of key characteristics such as serotype, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance genes and enables rapid preliminary phylogenetic analysis. Compared to next-generation sequencing technologies, MinION offers advantages such as low capital investment, a small footprint, and shorter turnaround times (10 hours for library preparation and sequencing).