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Review
. 2018 Apr;24(4):335-341.
doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.10.013. Epub 2017 Oct 23.

Next-generation sequencing technologies and their application to the study and control of bacterial infections

Affiliations
Review

Next-generation sequencing technologies and their application to the study and control of bacterial infections

J Besser et al. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

Background: With the efficiency and the decreasing cost of next-generation sequencing, the technology is being rapidly introduced into clinical and public health laboratory practice.

Aims: The historical background and principles of first-, second- and third-generation sequencing are described, as are the characteristics of the most commonly used sequencing instruments.

Sources: Peer-reviewed literature, white papers and meeting reports.

Content and implications: Next-generation sequencing is a technology that could potentially replace many traditional microbiological workflows, providing clinicians and public health specialists with more actionable information than hitherto achievable. Examples of the clinical and public health uses of the technology are provided. The challenge of comparability of different sequencing platforms is discussed. Finally, the future directions of the technology integrating it with laboratory management and public health surveillance systems, and moving it towards performing sequencing directly from the clinical specimen (metagenomics), could lead to yet another fundamental transformation of clinical diagnostics and public health surveillance.

Keywords: Diagnostics; Long-read technology; Next-generation sequencing; Short-read technology; Surveillance; Whole genome sequencing.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Metrics illustrating the benefits of using WGS compared to PFGE for real-time outbreak laboratory surveillance for listeriosis in the United States
Figure 2
Figure 2
Typical WGS workflow in a clinical or public health laboratory

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