Host DNA Depletion in Saliva Samples for Improved Shotgun Metagenomics

Host DNA makes up the majority of DNA in a saliva sample. Therefore, shotgun metagenomics can be an inefficient way to evaluate the microbial populations of saliva since often <10% of the sequencing reads are microbial. In this chapter, we describe a method to deplete human DNA from fresh or frozen saliva samples, allowing for more efficient shotgun metagenomic sequencing of the salivary microbial community.