Utilizing Metagenomics to Trace Major Pathogens in Foodborne Diarrhea Outbreaks in Wujiang District, Suzhou, China, 2023

In 2023, students from Suzhou Bay Foreign Language School in Wujiang District reported symptoms of diarrhea. Upon investigation, it was discovered that all students exhibiting these symptoms had consumed pasta served by the school's cafeteria the previous day. To identify the primary pathogen responsible for the incident, samples were collected and analyzed using a combined approach of Illumina next-generation sequencing and Nanopore third-generation sequencing. Further analyses included species annotation, LEfSe (LDA Effect Size) analysis, and evolutionary analyses.