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Pathogen Genomics in Public Health

List of authors.
  • Gregory L. Armstrong, M.D.,
  • Duncan R. MacCannell, Ph.D.,
  • Jill Taylor, Ph.D.,
  • Heather A. Carleton, M.P.H., Ph.D.,
  • Elizabeth B. Neuhaus, Ph.D.,
  • Richard S. Bradbury, Ph.D.,
  • James E. Posey, Ph.D.,
  • and Marta Gwinn, M.D., M.P.H.

Rapid advances in DNA sequencing technology (“next-generation sequencing”) have inspired optimism about the potential of human genomics for “precision medicine.” Meanwhile, pathogen genomics is already delivering “precision public health” through more effective investigations of outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, better-targeted tuberculosis control, and more timely and granular influenza surveillance to inform the selection of vaccine strains. In this article, we describe how public health agencies have been adopting pathogen genomics to improve their effectiveness in almost all domains of infectious disease. This momentum is likely to continue, given the ongoing development in sequencing and sequencing-related technologies.

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Funding and Disclosures

Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article at NEJM.org.

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the Office of Advanced Molecular Detection, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, the CDC, the Public Health Service, or the Department of Health and Human Services.

Author Affiliations

From the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (G.L.A., D.R.M., H.A.C.), the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (E.B.N.), the Center for Global Health (R.S.B.), and the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (J.E.P.), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and CFOL International (M.G.) — all in Atlanta; and the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany (J.T.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. Armstrong at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd., NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, or at .

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