The human pathogen database contains information of pathogenic microorganisms that cause human infectious diseases, including pathogen classification, biological characteristics, nucleic acid sequence，disease phenotype and patient immunological characteristics. It includes three sub-databases: chronic infectious disease pathogens database, emerging infectious disease pathogens database, and major infectious disease pathogens database，providing the search and identification tools for clinicians and researchers.
Chronic infectious diseases, as the name suggests, that disease process caused by the pathogen infection is not intense or there is a certain incubation period. It takes a long time to treat or recovery, and the body even carries the pathogens for a lifetime. Chronic infectious disease mainly including viral hepatitis, AIDS, tuberculosis, schistosomiasis and so on. The chronic infectious disease pathogen database contains information about classification and nucleic acid sequence of HIV, HBV and TB, and provides search, classification and resistance identification tools.
Emerging infectious diseases are infectious diseases caused by new species or new subtypes of pathogenic microorganisms in recent decades. Since the 1970s, with the exception of a few years, one or more new infectious diseases have been found every year, and more than 40 new infectious diseases have been found. And with the progress of science and technology, there will be more and more new pathogens (including the new subtype) to be found. Pathogenic microorganisms are complex, including viruses, bacteria, rickettsia, chlamydia, spirochetes and parasites, and every species are quite different. And in the confrontation process with human immunity and treatment, there are always new variations or new subtypes emerging. So the databases and invention of new identification technology will become increasingly important. Today, new infectious diseases have become one of the most important public health problems in the whole world, posing a serious threat to the all mankind, regardless of age, sex, lifestyle, ethical background and socioeconomic status. But the outbreak of new infectious diseases shows regional differences, such as Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Africa with highly contagious and high mortality rate known as the "death angel"; avian flu mainly outbreaks in China, East Asia and Southeast Asia; Zika viruses are popular in tropical and subtropical regions, and so on. The emerging infectious disease pathogen database mainly contains information about avian influenza, zika, and dengue viruses, and provides rapid retrieval and alignment tools for identifying types, subtypes, and mutations. And to achieve rapid identification of pathogens, the database combines with virome and metagenome research technology, collecting virome and metagenome data, and providing tools for rapid identification of pathogens.
Major infectious disease in this database is infectious disease that outbreak from time to time every year, with features that lasting a short time, spreading to a wide range and occurring a large number of patients or deaths. The database mainly focuses on information of Yersinia pestis, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella, hydatid and so on. It also contains information retrieval system, and type, evolution, tracing, drug resistance, virulence identification system, which provide assist and support for research of infectious disease and disease prevention and control.