Comparing Two Standardized Value Sets of Infectious Agents: Implications for Semantic Interoperability.

Infections are a global public health concern. For coordinated actions against infectious diseases, semantic interoperability between infection control systems is crucial. This requires a consistent use of standard terminologies such as SNOMED CT. Here, we compare two value sets of infectious agents annotated with SNOMED CT (WHONET 2018 vs. pathogens reported under the German Protection against Infection Act). Our comparison revealed several inconsistencies, highlighting the importance of the consistent and coordinated use of standard terminologies.