Quenching by sodium thiosulfate does not influence 16S rRNA gene sequencing profiles of reclaimed water from three sites in the Mid-Atlantic, United States.

A quenching agent is commonly added to chlorinated, reclaimed water during sample collection to prevent chlorine-mediated die-off of viable microbiota. However, the effect of quenching on downstream 16S rRNA-based bacterial community analyses is unclear. We conducted a side-by-side comparison of 16S rRNA sequencing data from reclaimed water samples quenched with sodium thiosulfate and non-quenched samples. Our data showed that 16 S rRNA processing and sequencing methods, and resulting bacterial profiles, were not negatively impacted by quenching.