New open-source, a cloud-based tool known as IDseq, makes it possible to rapidly detect, identify, and trace emerging pathogens like SARS-CoV-2.

‘IDseq, an open-source, cloud-based metagenomic study platform, identifies both novel and existing disease-causing pathogens.
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COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the importance of global infectious disease monitoring. Discovering the cause of an infectious disease outbreak is challenging, particularly if it stems from a previously unknown pathogen. 




"IDseq can be considered as an early warning radar for emerging or novel infectious agents," stated Joe DeRis, who contributed to the identification of the SARS coronavirus and who initiated the IDseq tool. It is designed to facilitate the global health community to leverage the ever-decreasing cost of sequencing for tracking and recognizing infectious disease in essentially any sample.
"At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, researchers in Cambodia used IDseq to help confirm and sequence the whole genome of the country's first case of coronavirus in a matter of days, and in California, we're providing critical SARS-CoV-2 genomic data to public health officials to inform contact tracing and intervention strategies."
Source-Medindia