Author:
Sokoloski Kevin J.,Holm Rochelle H.,Smith Melissa,Ford Easton E.,Rouchka Eric C.,Smith Ted
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Despite a clear appreciation of the impact of human pathogens on community health, efforts to understand pathogen dynamics within populations often follow a narrow-targeted approach and rely on the deployment of specific molecular probes for quantitative detection or rely on clinical detection and reporting.
Main text
Genomic analysis of wastewater samples for the broad detection of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and antibiotic resistance genes of interest/concern is inherently difficult, and while deep sequencing of wastewater provides a wealth of information, a robust and cooperative foundation is needed to support healthier communities. In addition to furthering the capacity of high-throughput sequencing wastewater-based epidemiology to detect human pathogens in an unbiased and agnostic manner, it is critical that collaborative networks among public health agencies, researchers, and community stakeholders be fostered to prepare communities for future public health emergencies or for the next pandemic. A more inclusive public health infrastructure must be built for better data reporting where there is a global human health risk burden.
Conclusions
As wastewater platforms continue to be developed and refined, high-throughput sequencing of human pathogens in wastewater samples will emerge as a gold standard for understanding community health.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Drug Discovery,Genetics,Molecular Biology,Molecular Medicine