The application and research progress of whole-genome sequencing in clinical microbiology detection

Whole-genome sequencing of bacteria has recently emerged as a cost-effective and convenient approach for resolving many microbiological questions. Here, the current status of whole-genome sequencing in clinical microbiology and the main problems that exist were reviewed, focusing on six essential tasks: identifying and culturing the species of an isolate, rapid identification of pathogen properties, monitoring the emergence and spread of an epidemic outbreak, developing vaccine and monitoring its variation, metagenomics and single-cell sequencing. The authors predicted that the application of whole-genome sequencing will soon be sufficiently fast, accurate and cheap to be used in routine etiological detection, even though there is still a long way to go.(Chin J Lab Med, 2016, 39: 319-321) Key words: Microbiological techniques; Genomics; Sequence analysis; Metagenomics; Single-cell analysis