Advancing genomics for waterborne pathogen surveillance in Australia

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Genomics

Background:

• Cryptosporidium is a growing waterborne public-health concern, with rising cryptosporidiosis notifications globally.
• Climate change and increased human mobility are exacerbating transmission risks.
• Current Australian surveillance methods for this nationally notifiable disease lack the resolution for effective outbreak detection and source attribution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the need for a national genomics-informatics platform for cryptosporidiosis surveillance in Australia.
• To explore how whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics can enhance pathogen surveillance.
• To advocate for the modernization of public health responses to waterborne eukaryotic pathogens.

Main Methods:

• Review of current cryptosporidiosis surveillance limitations in Australia.
• Examination of international genomics-based pathogen surveillance models.
• Proposal for an integrated national genomics-informatics platform.

Main Results:

• Conventional diagnostic methods are insufficient for high-resolution outbreak detection and source attribution of cryptosporidiosis.
• Genomic surveillance offers advanced capabilities for tracking pathogen transmission and mapping outbreaks.
• Eukaryotic pathogens like Cryptosporidium are currently underrepresented in national genomic surveillance initiatives.

Conclusions:

• A national genomics-informatics platform is essential to modernize cryptosporidiosis surveillance in Australia.
• Integrating whole-genome sequencing, bioinformatics, and analytics will strengthen responses to waterborne pathogen threats.
• Leveraging existing infrastructure can facilitate the implementation of advanced genomic surveillance for eukaryotic pathogens.