Salmonella Surveillance Study Points to Importance of Whole-Genome Sequence Data

In BMC Genomics, researchers at the State University of New York's University at Albany present findings from a population study of Salmonella enterica in New Hampshire from 2017 to 2020, using whole-genome sequence data from a surveillance program known as PulseNet. Based on genome sequences for almost 400 S. enterica isolates linked to clinical cases in the state over several years, the team got a closer look at population structure, phylogenetic relationships, and antimicrobial resistance or susceptibility for representatives from dozens of sequence types or serotypes. "[Whole-genome sequencing] studies of standing pathogen diversity provide critical insights into the population and evolutionary dynamics of lineages and antimicrobial resistance, which can be translated to effective public health action and decision-making," the authors report, adding that the findings so far "highlight the need to strengthen efforts to implement [whole-genome sequencing]-based surveillance and data analyses in state public health laboratories."