Utility of Pathogen Genomics in Clinical Care: A Review

Abstract

Objectives: The primary objective of this review was to describe the impact of genomic and molecular  diagnostic tools in diagnosis of  infectious disease in  clinical settings and to enumerate existing shortfalls in  infectious disease diagnostics in Kenya looking at the  scope  and implementation of use of newer and robust  technologies.
Data source: Data was obtained from peer reviewed publications containing surveys of the most common methods used in infectious disease diagnostics clinically in Kenya. Few data sources appear in regards to implementation of much newer methods of infectious disease diagnostics in tuberculosis patients and mixed pathogen species from cerebral spinal fluid.
Conclusions: Current laboratory techniques can be laborious and expensive when it comes to identifying pathogens responsible for many infectious disorders. Faster methods of diagnosis could expedite the administration of the appropriate treatment, reduce healthcare expenditures, and improve infection control and harnessing preparedness of future pandemics. In a clinical setting, when quick and robust choices regarding patient management are required to be made for the purpose of achieving the best possible results and preventing the spread of infectious disease, precision is very crucial. The technologies that are available today can test for a wide variety of pathogens using a variety of clinical samples, and they can produce results in under an hour while requiring less than a minute of manual intervention. The power of pathogen genomics diagnostic tools presents prospects that would take a more anticipatory approach to accurate clinical diagnosis, prevention and control of outbreaks.