Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and definitions relevant to the molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases discussed in the lecture notes.

Serotyping

A typing method based on the presence or absence of antigens, widely used for identifying many pathogens.

PFGE

Pulse-Field Gel Electrophoresis, a molecular typing method that generates large DNA fragments for analysis of genetic differences.

MLVA

Multiple Locus Variable Number of Tandem Repeat Analysis, a genotypic typing method that analyzes repetitive DNA sequences.

MLST

Multilocus Sequence Typing, a method that targets 5-10 housekeeping genes for genetic population structure classification.

hqSNP

High-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms, a method for mapping reads to a reference genome to capture SNP differences.

GWAS

Genome-wide association studies, which identify genetic elements significantly associated with phenotypes across populations.

Tn-Seq

Transposon insertion sequencing, a method to identify essential genes under various selection pressures.

Recombination rate (r)

A measure of how frequently genetic recombination occurs within a population.

Genotype

The genetic constitution of an organism, reflecting specific genetic information.

Phenotype

The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, determined by its genotype.

Transposon

A mobile genetic element that can insert itself into different locations within a genome.

Core genome

The set of genes present in all strains of a species.

Accessory genome

The set of genes not found in all strains of a species that can contribute to variability in traits.

ANI

Average Nucleotide Identity, a method used to determine the genetic relatedness of bacterial species through their genomic sequences.

Clonal species

A species with little or no genetic recombination, maintaining stable multilocus associations.

Strain

A genetic variant or subtype of a microorganism that shares common defined properties.

Epidemiology

The study of how diseases affect the health and illness of populations.

Molecular epidemiology

The application of molecular biology techniques to understand the distribution and determinants of health and disease.

Library classification

A method of typing isolates by comparing them to a comprehensive database.

High-throughput sequencing

A modern sequencing technology that allows rapid sequencing of large amounts of DNA or RNA.