Figure 1

Heatmap generated by the Fluidigm Real-Time PCR Analysis program from raw Cq data. At the top horizontal: Tenfold serial dilutions of DNA (ranging from 50 ng/μl down to 0.5 pg/μl) extracted from 15 different reference bacteria. Raised numbers in parentheses represent the respective numbers given to each reference bacterium in Table 1. These were used to test the specificity and sensitivity of the primer sets included in the Gut Microbiotassay, listed vertically on the left. Primers were run in duplicates. On the right: a colour scale depicting the respective Cq values (the software uses commas instead of points as decimal separator for Cq values).