Scientists Develop Strategy To Rapidly Describe Outbreak Strains With Next-Generation DNA Sequencing

In the event of an outbreak or a bioterrorist attack, rapid identification of the genetic changes responsible for virulence or drug resistance is essential to mounting an effective response. Standard DNA sequencing and analysis of a pathogen genome is time-intensive and likely impractical during an emergency. Researchers have now developed a comparative genomics strategy to drastically reduce the time needed to accurately identify unique genetic properties of a potential outbreak strain.

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Filed under: Bio-terrorism on April 11th, 2008