Genomics Testing Speeds Up Foodborne Bacteria Research

In Georgia, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are using new genomics testing to determine what foodborne bacteria illness someone has within a day. The technique uses DNA sequencing data and the bioinformatics analysis of that data in order to find what bacteria is making someone sick as well as any pathogens associated with it. This is quite a change from the usual two or three days needed to culture the microbes to determine the bacteria source which slows down getting to the bottom of a foodborne illness outbreak. The new testing can also pinpoint how much of the bacteria they have and can help determine which antibiotics would be best to treat the illness.