Woelffer G B, Bradford W Z, Paz A, Small P M
Department of Medicine, Stanford Medical School, California, USA.
Am J Med Sci. 1996 Jan;311(1):17-22. doi: 10.1097/00000441-199601000-00004.
Molecular epidemiologic approaches have provided important insights into the pathogenesis and epidemiology of tuberculosis. However, continued progress in this field will be reliant on the development of computerized information management systems capable of analyzing large numbers of bacterial DNA fingerprints and incorporating this with data collected as part of conventional disease surveillance. The specific attributes of these computer systems must be tailored to the nature and scope of the research question. In this article, the authors describe a system being used for the surveillance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in San Francisco. The current performance characteristics are described, and potential future developmental directions are outlined. This system demonstrates several general principles of computerized molecular epidemiology that are likely to be of increasing applicability to a variety of pathogens.
分子流行病学方法为深入了解结核病的发病机制和流行病学提供了重要见解。然而，该领域的持续进展将依赖于计算机化信息管理系统的开发，这种系统能够分析大量细菌DNA指纹，并将其与作为传统疾病监测一部分收集的数据相结合。这些计算机系统的具体属性必须根据研究问题的性质和范围进行定制。在本文中，作者描述了一个用于监测旧金山结核分枝杆菌菌株的系统。介绍了其当前的性能特征，并概述了未来可能的发展方向。该系统展示了计算机化分子流行病学的几个一般原则，这些原则可能对多种病原体越来越适用。
