HumanMetagenomeDB

HumanMetagenomeDB provides centralized, curated, and standardized metadata to enable identification and reanalysis of public human metagenomes for studies of microbial community composition and functional potential.

Key Features:

• Curated metadata: Curates and standardizes metadata to address misannotation and decentralization in public metagenomic records.
• Content scope: Contains comprehensive metadata for 69,822 metagenomes.
• Attributes and ontologies: Standardizes 203 metadata attributes based on established ontologies.
• Host characteristics: Includes host-level attributes such as sex, age, and body mass index (BMI).
• Diagnosis information: Captures disease-related metadata including cancer, Crohn's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
• Geographical data: Records country, longitude, and latitude and covers samples from 58 countries.
• Sampling site classification: Annotates sampling site across nine main body sites, including gut, lung, and skin.
• Sequencing attributes: Records sequencing platform, average read length, and sequence quality.
• Demographic coverage: Includes samples spanning ages from newborns to 91 years.

Scientific Applications:

• Sample reanalysis: Enables reanalysis of public human metagenomes with consistent and standardized metadata.
• Hypothesis generation and validation: Supports generation and validation of hypotheses across diverse research contexts.
• Microbial community studies: Facilitates exploration of microbial community composition and functional potential.
• Comparative and epidemiological analyses: Supports comparative analyses across geographical locations, age groups, and diagnoses.

Methodology:

Curation and standardization of 203 metadata attributes using established ontologies.