{
  "id": 6526456,
  "title": "Whole genome similarity provides a rapid, robust framework for classification of fungal taxa from the genus rank to intraspecies variants",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/whole-genome-similarity-provides-a-rapid-robust-framework-for",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-09T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.746300v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rapid and precise identification of microbes is essential for understanding biological data in research and making effective decisions for treating patients and controlling diseases caused by humans, animals, and plants. While high-throughput sequencing can speed up fungal species identification, it also raises computational challenges. This study explores how whole-genome similarity can be utilized for accurate classification and identification within the Kingdom Fungi and the Phylum Oomycota. The researchers compared the computationally efficient k-mer-based tool sourmash with the more intensive BLAST-based similarity method ANIb, as well as conventional phylogenomic approaches such as maximum-likelihood concatenated ortholog trees and SNP-based methods. The results showed that sourmash offers significant speed and memory efficiency gains while still maintaining strong alignment with phylogenomic methods. The study also found that a k-mer size of 21 works well for genus and species determination, with larger k-mers being suitable for identification at lower ranks. These findings demonstrate that k-mer-based whole-genome similarity provides a scalable framework for fungal classification, enabling quick analysis and reducing computational and bioinformatic obstacles, thereby facilitating the creation of efficient identification pipelines.",
  "summary": "Rapid and accurate microbial identification is critical for interpreting biological data in basic research and when making applied decisions on how to effectively treat patients and control human, animal, and plant diseases. Advancements in high-throughput sequencing have the potential to expedite fungal species identification and thus fungal biological research; however, analyses of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}