Omics Research of Pathogenic Microorganisms

Dear Colleagues,

The domestication of animals and plant breeding has supported the agricultural intensification that has allowed for huge human population sizes and economic growth. Plant and animal production in a changing world with increasing human populations is facing diverse challenges, including infectious diseases of plant crops and domestic animals. Disease-associated microbes, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, have been posing a major threat to agricultural production worldwide, and the increased use of antibiotics for the control of microbial pathogens has resulted in the global rise of antibiotic resistance. At present, old and new infectious diseases of plants, animals and humans continue to emerge, emphasising the need for novel approaches to detect, identify and control these diseases.

Genomics holds great promise for enhancing the detection and control of infectious diseases. For instance, farmers would welcome DNA-based on-farm tools for pathogen detection and taxonomic identification to determine the most appropriate control measures. Reduced antibiotic usage and the efficient control of infectious diseases require substantial knowledge of bacterial, viral and fungal genomes, including the presence of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in microbial populations. Whole-genome sequencing of pathogenic microbes and metagenomics have been successfully used for the identification of the (horizontal) transmission and cycling of genes in microbial populations and have greatly aided the identification of virulence genes as well as infectious disease risk assessment and the prediction of antibiotic resistance. There is good scope to apply the metagenomic sequencing of DNA extracted from symptom-bearing plant parts, nasal swabs and fecal material to the detection of microbial disease-associated biomarker genes. This issue focuses on state-of-the-art omics work that is used to study pathogenic microbes of plants, animals and humans, as well as novel insights from this research and how these insights can be translated to practice.

Dr. Ir. Peter van Baarlen
Guest Editor

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