Bacterial classification using genomic fingerprints obtained by virtual hybridization

► A novel approach for constructing phylogenetic trees, based on comparative analysis of genomic fingerprints, was developed. ► In silico genomic fingerprints were produced by virtual hybridization of 191 fully sequenced bacterial genomes using a set of 15,264 13-mer probes. ► The taxonomy produced by these genomic fingerprints was found to be satisfactory and may reveal more information than previously used approaches.