Group-specific PCR primers for the phylum Acidobacteria designed based on the comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences

► Group-specific PCR primers for Acidobacteria and its class-level subgroups were developed. ► The specificities of the designed primers were evaluated both in silico and empirically. ► The phylum-specific primer showed increased coverage for Acidobacteria, as compared to previous primers. ► Subgroup-specific PCR primers for the major acidobacterial subgroups showed high coverage and low tolerance.