TOP: MAYA WARDEH. LAPTOP INSET: COURTESY OF MARIE MCINTYRE. LAPTOP: KOSTOV/SHUTTERSTOCK
December 2018^ DISCOVER^59Pros
By bringing knowledge together in
one place, EID2 makes it easier to
investigate, anticipate and prepare
for a pathogen. McIntyre says the
database, which includes millions
of sequences and information on
thousands of pathogen species, is
also easily updated. Plus, it’s free,
and anyone can use it.Cons
EID2 relies on public information,
so it’s limited to already published
knowledge. If researchers discover
a pathogen but its DNA isn’t se-
quenced, or if no one else has post-
ed information about it in a public
forum, EID2 can’t incorporate it.UP NEXT
The EID2 team plans to expand the
database, incorporating diseases
that affect crops.By pooling information from various public databases, EID2 lets users see in one spot lots
of data that’s usually scattered. Above is a look at sources of information on HIV overlaid
on areas where the pathogen exists.This representation of EID2
data shows the link between
pathogens and their human
and domestic animal hosts.
Each host is represented by
a node; the bigger the node,
the more pathogens found in
that host. The lines between
hosts indicate the number of
pathogens that show up in
both hosts; the thicker the
line, the more pathogens
the pair share. Colors simply
indicate the type of host:
human, rodents, other
mammals and birds.