Identification of Bacteria in Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Heart Valve Tissue via 16S rRNA Gene Nucleotide Sequencing

Abstract

We applied 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify bacterial species present in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded heart valve tissue. In 40% (12/30) of the cases, we were able to identify the bacterium to the species-genus level. For more recent cases (<or=4 years), the success rate was significantly improved, to 70% (P<0.001).