RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Next Generation Sequencing for Outbreak Investigation in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory JF American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science JO Clin Lab Sci FD American Society of Chemistry and Laboratory Science SP ascls.119.001750 DO 10.29074/ascls.119.001750 A1 Dougherty, Caitlin E A1 Graf, Erin YR 2019 UL http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/early/2019/10/08/ascls.119.001750.abstract AB With the advent of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, genomic investigations of pathogen outbreaks are now possible at unprecedented resolution. Prior methods, requiring highly pathogen-specific protocols, can now be replaced with a single universal protocol for whole genome sequencing. Clinical applications have shown improvement in our understanding of pathogen transmission dynamics from the hospital to global level. However, there are several barriers to routine implementation in clinical microbiology laboratories. These include financial support for a non-billable test, workforce training needs, particularly for highly complex data analysis methods, and lack of FDA approved methods requiring extensive laboratory validation.