Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology has led to a new era of studying microorganisms. Using this tool, our knowledge and understanding of microbiology has expanded at a rapid pace compared to traditional methods that rely on cell culture, microscopy, serology, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At the community level, microorganisms play a vital role in determining the health of animals, humans, and the environments they reside in, potentially causing harm to hosts when their balanced state is interrupted or through the acquisition of virulence factors and /or drug-resistant genes from other organisms. The importance of monitoring genetic changes over time is critical to our understanding of how and why diseases emerge using an epigenetics approach. Advances in sequencing technology has improved our ability to study microorganisms at the community level, allowing scientists to explore how pathogens interact with their environment, hosts, and each other in new ways, rather than focusing only on single microorganisms at a time.
NGS continues to open new doors in research, especially within clinical and diagnostic laboratories focused on infectious diseases. Cases of undifferentiated febrile illness that would previously go undiagnosed now have the potential to be exposed using NGS, strengthening our understanding of endemic diseases in resource limited settings. The application of metagenomics can be used to detect and characterize unknown etiological agents since the technology requires no prior knowledge of the agent. Metagenomics can fill this knowledge gap and assist in the development of new tests for pathogen detection. NGS also simultaneously detects all pathogens in arthropods, animal samples or environmental samples, and has the potential to detect rare or novel pathogens. Integration of this technology into disease surveillance can offer powerful tools to detect and discover novel, emerging or re-emerging pathogens, can elucidate the role co-infections play in clinical presentation, and can document evolutionary changes in pathogens of concern.
We specifically encourage manuscripts highlighting the application of NGS and metagenomics to:
• Improve pathogen discovery, surveillance efforts or clinical diagnosis
• Advance human and/ or animal care and treatments.
• Elucidate One Health disease and / or vector epidemiology
• Determine host-pathogen interactions in laboratory settings or in nature.
• Better understand the role of microorganisms in the ecosystem.
Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology has led to a new era of studying microorganisms. Using this tool, our knowledge and understanding of microbiology has expanded at a rapid pace compared to traditional methods that rely on cell culture, microscopy, serology, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At the community level, microorganisms play a vital role in determining the health of animals, humans, and the environments they reside in, potentially causing harm to hosts when their balanced state is interrupted or through the acquisition of virulence factors and /or drug-resistant genes from other organisms. The importance of monitoring genetic changes over time is critical to our understanding of how and why diseases emerge using an epigenetics approach. Advances in sequencing technology has improved our ability to study microorganisms at the community level, allowing scientists to explore how pathogens interact with their environment, hosts, and each other in new ways, rather than focusing only on single microorganisms at a time.
NGS continues to open new doors in research, especially within clinical and diagnostic laboratories focused on infectious diseases. Cases of undifferentiated febrile illness that would previously go undiagnosed now have the potential to be exposed using NGS, strengthening our understanding of endemic diseases in resource limited settings. The application of metagenomics can be used to detect and characterize unknown etiological agents since the technology requires no prior knowledge of the agent. Metagenomics can fill this knowledge gap and assist in the development of new tests for pathogen detection. NGS also simultaneously detects all pathogens in arthropods, animal samples or environmental samples, and has the potential to detect rare or novel pathogens. Integration of this technology into disease surveillance can offer powerful tools to detect and discover novel, emerging or re-emerging pathogens, can elucidate the role co-infections play in clinical presentation, and can document evolutionary changes in pathogens of concern.
We specifically encourage manuscripts highlighting the application of NGS and metagenomics to:
• Improve pathogen discovery, surveillance efforts or clinical diagnosis
• Advance human and/ or animal care and treatments.
• Elucidate One Health disease and / or vector epidemiology
• Determine host-pathogen interactions in laboratory settings or in nature.
• Better understand the role of microorganisms in the ecosystem.
