Machine learning could one day help figure out what gave you diarrhea

Researchers led by Xiangyu Deng at the University of Georgia trained an algorithm to recognize differences in the genomes of Salmonella strains pooped out by four common hosts: pigs, cows, poultry, and wild birds. When the team tested the algorithm on eight Salmonella outbreaks that made people sick over the past 20 years, it correctly identified the animal sources for seven of them, according to a study published online today in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The algorithm still needs more training, but it’s a start toward learning where Salmonella comes from, and curbing the foodborne illness.