"An important transformation is under way in public health. Next-generation sequencing (also called “high-throughput sequencing”) is reshaping communicable disease surveillance, allowing for earlier detection and more precise investigation of outbreaks. Next-generation sequencing helps characterize microbes more effectively and offers new insights into their ecology and transmission. The plethora of sequence data provides raw material for the research and development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. This article describes how pathogen genomics has been changing public health in the United States and globally." (editor).

(Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and its interpretation.)