15- Molecular & Genomic Epidemiology of Infections Flashcards
what is molecular epidemiology? why is it important?
the study of disease patterns and transmission dynamics using genetic and molecular techniques
important in:
- identifying pathogens
- tracking changes in genetics contributing to changing virulence and spread of pathogens
- investigating transmission between populations using molecular epidemiology techniques
what are the three key aspects of molecular epidemiology?
defining target sequences
- choosing specific genetic markers/ regions to analyse to distinguish between different pathogens or strains
assessing the degree of diversity of a pathogen/ pathogens within a population
identifying genetic differences between pathogens and strains
- understanding how evolution affects transmission and virulence
what is epidemiological surveillance? what are the four main measures involved in surveillance?
epidemiological surveillance = systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of health-related data to understand and control diseases
four measures:
- disease distribution in time and place
- disease transmission
- disease manifestation
- disease progression
describe the four main measures of epidemiological surveillance, and how they help us better understand and control diseases
disease distribution in time and place
- tracking disease distribution across different places and periods of time to identify patterns, trends and outbreaks
disease transmission
- determining how diseases are spreading within populations, tracking disease’s R number to assess its rate of transmission and warn high risk populations
disease manifestations
- how the disease manifests in different populations, if it signifies changes in virulence through symptoms, severity and outcomes
disease progression
- changes in incidence rates, prevalence to monitor how the disease progresses, and what control measures/ interventions would help
what is the significance of the R number?
reproduction number - represents the represents average number of secondary infections generated from one infected individual in a population
indicates transmission potential of the disease - if the value is above one, each case is leading to more than one additional case
if its below 1 = declining transmission
purpose of epidemiology - what questions can epidemiology answer?
transmission routes
source of infection
community response - vaccines, preparing for potential outbreaks
strain comparison - predict new strains?
identifying disease risks - changing virulence, drug resistant strains, infection reservoirs?
