Ethical Challenges Associated with Pathogen and Host Genetics in Infectious Disease

Area of Science:

• Genomic surveillance
• Infectious disease research
• Bioethics

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the utility of genomic technologies for disease detection and surveillance.
• Pathogen genomics is poised to significantly impact future research and clinical applications.
• Ethical and social implications of infectious disease genomics remain under-explored compared to human genetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the ethical and social challenges associated with infectious disease genomics.
• To analyze the potential consequences for individuals and communities arising from genomic technology implementation.
• To focus on privacy, stigma, discrimination, and the return of results in genomic surveillance.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and ethical analysis.
• Case studies focusing on pathogen surveillance, metagenomics, and host genomics.
• Discussion of potential societal impacts.

Main Results:

• Genomic surveillance of known pathogens raises privacy and discrimination concerns.
• Metagenomics presents unique challenges regarding incidental findings and data interpretation.
• Host genomics in infectious disease contexts can lead to stigmatization and inequitable outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Addressing ethical and social issues is crucial for the responsible implementation of infectious disease genomics.
• Clear guidelines are needed for data privacy, result return, and preventing discrimination.
• Further research is essential to navigate the complexities of genomic surveillance and its societal impact.