Researchers from Columbia Use Genetic Sequencing to Identify Uknown Ugandan Viral Pathogens

Researchers at Columbia's Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) and Department of Medicine have published a study highlighting the usage of a sophisticated genetic sequencing technique to identify unknown respiratory pathogens in Uganda. The method in question, called VirCapSeq-VERT, allowed to researchers to identify nine clusters of infections across Uganda. Cooperating with scientists at the Uganda Virus Research Institute, the authors identified 2,901 patients with unexplained severe acute respirtaory infections between 2010 and 2015. They identified nine infectious clusters and found that urban areas during rainy season were most prone to disease. Among the clusters, they discovered an outbreak of measles that could be linked the U.K. and a novel picobirnavirus related to swine and dromedary viruses. In total, five cases could be traced to an unvaccinated tourist from Manchester, where there had been an outbreak in 2011.

The researchers assert the importance of employing precision sequencing to detect and control outbreaks of infectious disease. Acute lower respiratory infections are responsible for nearly 3 million deaths around the world every year, and the addition of tools like VirCapSeq-VERT is incredibly promising. “One-size-fits-all public health solutions are just as obsolete as one-size-fits-all approaches to cancer therapy," argues co-first author Matthew J. Cummings.

For more info, see: https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/precision-public-health-method-identifies-clusters-respiratory-disease-uganda

-Ed