Infection outcome needs two to tango: human host and the pathogen

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Evolutionary Biology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Host-pathogen interactions are central to infectious diseases and human evolution.
• Genetic factors, host transcriptional responses, and pathogen genomics influence disease outcomes.
• Emerging infectious diseases necessitate advanced genomic characterization and host risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how multi-omics approaches enhance understanding of host-pathogen interplay in infectious and rare diseases.
• To highlight the role of RNA-level responses in modulating disease severity.
• To emphasize the importance of genetic variants in disease outcomes, as seen in COVID-19.

Main Methods:

• Review of modern genomic tools and techniques, including next-generation sequencing (NGS).
• Analysis of multi-omics data to study host-pathogen interactions.
• Examination of genetic variants and transcriptional responses in disease.

Main Results:

• Genomic tools are crucial for pathogen detection and characterization.
• Next-generation sequencing aids in identifying susceptible host subgroups.
• Understanding host-pathogen interplay benefits from and enhances multi-omics applications.

Conclusions:

• A deeper understanding of host-pathogen interactions, particularly through multi-omics, is vital for managing infectious and rare diseases.
• Investigating genetic variants and RNA responses improves disease outcome prediction and management.
• Enhanced knowledge contributes to better pandemic preparedness.