title: Whole genome sequencing: a new paradigm in the surveillance and control of human tuberculosis.
abstract: Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) is emerging as a very powerful tool for the management, outbreak analyses, surveillance and determining drug resistance of human infectious pathogens including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and MRSA. WGS can also discriminate relapse TB from re-infection and the resolution provided by WGS has no comparison to conventional technologies. With current cost coming down to <£70 per bacterial genome, WGS has emerged as an alternative to all the existing technologies put together. We discuss the advantage and disadvantages of WGS and whether it can become a point of care tool in not just developed countries but also in developing countries which have a huge TB burden. The likely utility of WGS for other pathogens and also in characterizing holobionts is also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India; Dr. Reddy's Institute of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad Campus, Prof. C. R. Rao Road, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500007, India. Electronic address: sehiitd@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Seyed E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hasnain
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: otooler3@tcd.ie.
authors.forename: Ronan F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: O'Toole
authors.affiliation: Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India.
authors.forename: Sonam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Pathology, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi 110029, India. Electronic address: nzehtesham@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nasreen Z
authors.initials: NZ
authors.lastname: Ehtesham
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D058889:Molecular Typing / Q000379:methods; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control