Whole-genome sequencing appears to be better than standard strain typing for tracing tuberculosis outbreaks, according to a paper published in
PLOS Medicine. Researchers
analyzed 86 cases from a long-term tuberculosis outbreak in Germany, finding that whole-genome sequencing analysis more closely aligned with contact tracing data and the known spread of the disease. WGS resolved the 86 isolates at a much higher discriminatory level than classical genotyping, they said.