At a glance
Great guess, but this answer is incorrect. In an investigation, scientists may have to collect more data to find the source of the outbreak. Read on to learn what happened or go back to make a different guess.
What was the contaminant?
Over the course of the investigation, your team collected pathogen samples from 100 patients. The larger sample size provided a clearer picture of the outbreak. After examining the samples, your team determined this outbreak was likely caused by contaminated romaine lettuce.
After identifying lettuce as the likely source, researchers used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to test lettuce samples from various suppliers. They were able to confirm that the strain of Pathogen X from a particular growing region matched the strain that made people sick.
Thanks to your team, notices went out alerting the public to avoid eating romaine lettuce grown in that area. The company issued a recall to remove contaminated products from grocery shelves. And local healthcare professionals were asked to be vigilant about suspecting and reporting other possible cases of Pathogen X.
Learn More
Learn about a real-world outbreak investigation using whole-genome sequencing.
Learn how genomic sequencing is used for other kinds of infectious disease at AMD in Action