Tracking Disease Transmission

Suppose an outbreak of a new antibiotic- resistant pathogen appeared in one place and then another, and onward from there.  How would public health officials know whether they were dealing with one or multiple strains, and how could they determine the social “traffic pattern” of its spread?  This scenario occurred with a tuberculosis outbreak in British Columbia, and it was resolved with DNA sequencing and social networking.  The sequencing showed two strains were present, and the social networking model led to discovery of trafficking in crack cocaine.  Facebook may be the next great tool of epidemiology.      MORE

Image Credit: New England Journal of Medicine and Technology Review