Fig. 1: Pathogen sequencing during infectious disease outbreaks can inform precise interventions.

Technological advances are enabling the broad application of pathogen genome sequencing for our response to outbreaks of infectious disease. Whole-genome sequencing of many pathogens can now be done directly from clinical samples and in near real time during an outbreak. By analyzing these genomes and their metadata in the context of other sequences generated from the same outbreak, as well as previously characterized variants, researchers can inform individual- and population-level intervention strategies to minimize the burden of infectious diseases. We term the collective approach—sequencing, analysis, and response—as precision epidemiology.