Comprehensive description of blood microbiome from healthy donors assessed by 16 <scp>S</scp> targeted metagenomic sequencing

We demonstrate that a diversified microbiome exists in healthy blood. This microbiome has most likely an important physiologic role and could be implicated in certain transfusion-transmitted bacterial infections. In this regard, the amount of 16S bacterial DNA or the microbiome profile could be monitored to improve the safety of the blood supply.