Metagenomics-Driven Discovery of Pathogens Causing Nosocomial Infection in Senegal

Aida Badiane of the Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar in Senegal will use shotgun metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) to identify the pathogens causing nosocomial infections in Senegal to improve diagnosis and treatment. Nosocomial infections (i.e., hospital-acquired) cause substantial mortality in Senegal but remain poorly understood. To create a more complete profile of the causative pathogens, they will apply shotgun mNGS to different types of clinical samples from 61 patients at LeDantec hospital to identify and quantify the pathogens. They will also identify the most suitable sample types for diagnosing the most common pathogens. The sequencing data will be analyzed and shared with clinicians, stakeholders and the global research community, and will help in the development of suitable diagnostic assays. This project will help implement sequencing technologies into the national healthcare system.