{"id":11603,"date":"2024-08-12T09:25:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T13:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/surveillance-and-investigation\/?page_id=11603"},"modified":"2025-08-14T06:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T10:12:09","slug":"genomic-sequencing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/surveillance-and-investigation\/genomic-epidemiology\/genomic-sequencing\/","title":{"rendered":"Genomic Sequencing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How Does Genomic Sequencing Work? <\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

Genomic sequencing<\/strong> is a term used to describe a variety of laboratory procedures that provide detailed information about the genetic makeup of infectious disease pathogens (germs) that are making people sick.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The genome of disease-causing pathogens is made up of DNA or RNA. Both DNA and RNA are formed with \u201cbuilding blocks\u201d called nucleotides<\/span> that tell us important information about a pathogen. The laboratory process of reading these nucleotides with bioinformatic tools is called sequencing<\/strong>. Analyzing the genome of various pathogens tell us more information about the germs that are causing disease in an individual person or in a population. VDH uses genomic information to find potential transmission links during public health disease investigations and to identify common sources of exposure in outbreak investigations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>How Are Genomic Sequencing Results Used?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n