News: News Archives Genome Sequencing Provides High-Tech
Tracking of Intensive-Care Outbreaks Whole-genome sequencing of
drug-resistant bacteria during a hospital outbreak could help
infection control efforts, reports a new study in the 22 August
issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine. The report
details the steps taken after a 2011 outbreak of Klebsiella
pneumoniae at a clinical center located at the National
Institutes of Health. Six of the 18 patients infected during the
outbreak died. Because a careful analysis of bed locations in
the intensive care unit revealed no clues as to how the bacteria
(which can cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections, meningitis,
and other problems) traveled from patient to patient, the
research team turned to whole-genome sequencing to piece
together what happened. “By allowing infection control personnel
to generate and test hypotheses as to how an outbreak has
spread, whole genome sequencing can facilitate the
implementation of targeted infection control procedu