OPTIMIZING K-MER DATABASES BY K-MER SUBTRACTION

摘要

Methods are disclosed for reducing the size of a k-mer reference database used for queries and/or taxonomic classifications when available computer storage and/or memory are inadequate. The k-mers of the reference database have been previously classified to a taxonomy, preferably based on genetic distances. In one method, the k-mers are separated into one or more groups followed by removing k-mers common to the groups. In another method, k-mers are removed based on a selected taxonomic threshold level. A third method combines the features of the previous two methods. The methods are adaptable to machine learning.