1.
December 2015

2.
Steering Committee Meeting, November 3-5, 2015
La Paz, Mexico
PulseNet International vision for the implementation of whole genome
sequencing for global foodborne disease surveillance
• internationally standardised molecular subtyping coupled with
national/regional databases has enabled the immediate, direct comparisons of
subtyping data from across the world. This has facilitated rapid outbreak
detection and response within countries, throughout regions, and worldwide.
• The vision of PulseNet International is the use of WGS in all public health
laboratories in the world to identify, characterise and subtype foodborne
bacterial pathogens, replacing existing phenotypic and molecular methods in
support of foodborne disease preparedness and response to save lives and
reduce global social and economic loss.

3.
Steering Committee Meeting, November 3-5, 2015
La Paz, Mexico
PulseNet International vision for the implementation of whole genome
sequencing for global foodborne disease surveillance
• To meet the needs of real-time surveillance, the PulseNet International
network will standardise subtyping via WGS using the gene-by-gene approach
(wgMLST). This approach delivers optimal resolution and epidemiological
concordance for the purposes of surveillance whilst providing unambiguous
nomenclature; in addition, it is computationally efficient and thereby realistic
for all public health laboratories to use on a daily basis.
• In order to truly standardise foodborne disease subtyping across the world, a
public WGS-based nomenclature, curated where necessary, must be
available. In addition, contrary to e.g. PFGE, WGS data are not only suitable
for surveillance and outbreak purposes, but also for answering other scientific
questions such as source attribution, antimicrobial resistance, transmission
patterns, and population structure.