BALROG-MON

BALROG-MON analyzes metagenomic long-read data to detect pathogens, annotate antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), and predict their origin.

Key Features:

• Assembly-based and assembly-free workflows: BALROG-MON supports both approaches for analyzing metagenomic samples with low or high coverage, varying complexities, and origins.
• ARG-pathogen linkage: The pipeline links antimicrobial resistance genes to specific pathogens.
• ARG origin prediction: BALROG-MON predicts whether ARGs originate from plasmid or chromosomal sources.
• Optional genome binning: This feature provides a comprehensive overview of ARGs within the dataset.
• Optional community analysis: Additional analytical steps for characterizing microbial community structure can be performed.
• Summarized reporting: Results are presented in summarized reports.

Scientific Applications:

• Pathogen detection: BALROG-MON detects pathogens in diverse metagenomic samples using long-read sequencing data.
• Antimicrobial resistance gene annotation: The pipeline identifies and characterizes ARGs in metagenomic datasets.
• Antibiotic resistance surveillance: BALROG-MON serves as a flexible analysis tool for exploring metagenomic samples for pathogens and antibiotic resistance.

Methodology:

BALROG-MON is implemented as a Nextflow pipeline for automated analysis of metagenomic long-read data, with optional steps including community analysis and genome binning.