New AI method can support real-time management of infectious diseases

For the past 25 years, one discipline has been revolutionizing epidemiology: phylodynamics. By using genetic sequences, scientists can study how pathogens evolve. Thanks to mathematics, these data can be coherently organized into phylogenetic trees, with each branch representing a chain of transmission and each leaf representing an individual infection.

New AI method can support real-time management of infectious diseases. New AI method can support real-time management of infectious diseases by INRAE edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process Robert Egan Senior Editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process Editors' notes This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source proofread The GIST Add as preferred source By using genetic sequences, scientists can study how pathogens evolve.

The length of the branches can provide information about the number of mutations, while the branching points reveal the phylogenetic relationships between pathogens. Thus, a given strain can be traced back to its parent strain to compare their genetic sequences. These phylogenetic trees are built using algorithms that suggest the most likely tree based on the available genetic data.

Various parameters can be estimated, such as the rate at which a pathogen spreads, the duration of infection, its geographic origin and so on. To produce solid estimates, a large number of genetic sequences must be analyzed and the estimated parameters compared with conventional epidemiological data, which are based on observations of populations of individuals.

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