Design of genomic signatures for pathogen identification and characterization

Once the genome of a microbial organism has been sequenced, it becomes possible to utilize portions of the genome, known as “signatures” to identify when that organism is present in a complex clinical or environmental sample. Genomic signatures can be at multiple levels of resolution depending on the questions being asked. (“Is this white powder anthrax?”; “Does this white powder match any of the anthrax samples taken from every laboratory in the United States that possesses anthrax?”) Multiple technologies exist to turn abstract genomic signatures into assays that can interrogate complex samples with varying degrees of speed, sensitivity, specificity, and cost. The recent flood of microbial genomic data has complicated the task of designing genomic signatures.