What is Molecular Epidemiology and why is MultiGEN technology helpful?
Molecular Epidemiology is a complex term describing very important ways of tracking the origin and spread of pathogens using DNA fingerprinting. The general method is called genotyping, and involves the comparison of the DNA fingerprints of the sub-types of a pathogen causing the same type of infection in different individuals. MultiGEN DNA sequencing is the only technology that can accurately identify, in the same test, not only the sub-type of the pathogen causing an infection but also unique mutations in its DNA . In a hospital setting this can enable the tracing of the source of a dangerous pathogen (e.g. MRSA and VRE) to a particular patient who can then be quarantined. RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV and HIV regularly mutate as they are passed from host to host. In the case of SARS, the identification of the cumulative load of successive mutations allows a likely path of spread of the infection to be deduced, and a likely animal origin predicted so that counter-measures can be taken
