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tooluniverse-infectious-disease — Claude Code skill: how to install

Characterizes emerging pathogens and screens drug repurposing candidates using NCBI and ChEMBL. Designed for rapid outbreak intelligence and target discovery.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add mims-harvard/ToolUniverse --skill tooluniverse-infectious-disease -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What tooluniverse-infectious-disease does

This skill sets up a computational pipeline for outbreak response. It identifies organism taxonomy through NCBI or BV-BRC, then retrieves essential conserved proteins via UniProt. Target druggability and candidate compounds are evaluated against databases like ChEMBL alongside docking tools.

Instead of descriptive summaries, the skill executes computations directly through Bash. The agent runs Python scripts with pandas and scipy to process enrichment scores and metrics. All findings are written incrementally to a markdown report and paired CSV files for prioritized targets and drugs.

Every tool query must be formulated in English, as upstream bioinformatics databases fail to match localized terms.

What it helps with

  • classify emerging pathogen taxonomy via NCBI Datasets
  • identify conserved essential protein targets in UniProt
  • screen approved drugs for repurposing through ChEMBL
  • generate outbreak intelligence summaries in markdown and CSV

Example prompts for the agent

  • New pathogen detected — what approved drugs might work against it?
  • Find essential targets in this organism for drug development
  • Screen drug repurposing candidates for the identified viral strain

How to install tooluniverse-infectious-disease

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add mims-harvard/ToolUniverse --skill tooluniverse-infectious-disease -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/tooluniverse-infectious-disease/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/tooluniverse-infectious-disease/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about tooluniverse-infectious-disease

How to install tooluniverse-infectious-disease in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add mims-harvard/ToolUniverse --skill tooluniverse-infectious-disease -a claude-code in your terminal.

What does tooluniverse-infectious-disease do?

It combines pathogen genomics and drug databases to profile novel pathogens and identify existing therapeutic compounds for rapid repurposing.

What execution dependencies does this skill require?

It executes Python code via Bash to process analysis results, requiring libraries such as pandas and scipy in your local environment.

Source text

SKILL.md · Apache-2.0
---
name: tooluniverse-infectious-disease
description: Rapid pathogen characterization and drug repurposing for outbreaks. Combines pathogen genomics (NCBI, BVBRC), host immune response (IEDB), drug-target databases (ChEMBL, DGIdb), and literature surveillance (PubMed/EuropePMC). Use for emerging-pathogen profiling, antiviral candidate identification, and outbreak intelligence reporting.
disable-model-invocation: true
---

## COMPUTE, DON'T DESCRIBE
When analysis requires computation (statistics, data processing, scoring, enrichment), write and run Python code via Bash. Don't describe what you would do — execute it and report actual results. Use ToolUniverse tools to retrieve data, then Python (pandas, scipy, statsmodels, matplotlib) to analyze it.

# Infectious Disease Outbreak Intelligence

Rapid response system for emerging pathogens using taxonomy analysis, target identification, structure prediction, and computational drug repurposing.

**KEY PRINCIPLES**:
1. **Speed is critical** - Optimize for rapid actionable intelligence
2. **Target essential proteins** - Focus on conserved, essential viral/bacterial proteins
3. **Leverage existing drugs** - Prioritize FDA-approved compounds for repurposing
4. **Structure-guided** - Use NvidiaNIM for rapid structure prediction and docking
5. **Evidence-graded** - Grade repurposing candidates by evidence strength
6. **Actionable output** - Prioritized drug candidates with rationale
7. **English-first queries** - Always use English terms in tool calls; respond in user's language

**REASONING STRATEGY — Start Here**:
Start with pathogen identification: What type of organism? (virus, bacteria, fungus, parasite). Then ask:
- What are the essential proteins? (required for replication or viability — cannot be mutated away)
- Which are surface-exposed? (accessible to drugs and antibodies)
- Which are conserved across strains? (targeting conserved regions prevents resistance escape)
These three questions define your drug targets and vaccine candidates. Organisms in the same genus share targets — look up drug precedent for related pathogens before predicting from scratch.

**LOOK UP DON'T GUESS**: Never assume a pathogen's taxonomy, genome size, or protein function. Always call `BVBRC_search_taxonomy` or `UniProt_search` first. Even well-known pathogens have strains with different drug susceptibility profiles — look up the specific strain when known.

---

## When to Use

Apply when user asks:
- "New pathogen detected - what drugs might work?"
- "Emerging virus [X] - therapeutic options?"
- "Drug repurposing candidates for [pathogen]"
- "What do we know about [novel coronavirus/bacteria]?"
- "Essential targets in [pathogen] for drug development"
- "Can we repurpose [drug] against [pathogen]?"

---

## Critical Workflow Requirements

### 1. Report-First Approach (MANDATORY)

1. Create `[PATHOGEN]_outbreak_intelligence.md` FIRST with section headers
2. Progressively update as data is gathered
3. Output separate files: `[PATHOGEN]_drug_candidates.csv`, `[PATHOGEN]_target_proteins.csv`

### 2. Citation Requirements (MANDATORY)

Every finding must have inline source attribution:
```markdown
### Target: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp)
- **UniProt**: P0DTD1 (NSP12)
- **Essentiality**: Required for replication
*Source: UniProt via `UniProt_search`, literature review*
```

---

## Phase 0: Tool Verification

### Known Parameter Corrections

| Tool | WRONG Parameter | CORRECT Parameter |
|------|-----------------|-------------------|
| `NCBIDatasets_get_taxonomy` | `name` | `tax_id` (integer) or use `BVBRC_search_taxonomy` for keyword search |
| `UniProt_search` | `name` | `query` |
| `ChEMBL_search_targets` | `query`, `target` | `pref_name__contains` (substring match) |
| `get_diffdock_info` | `protein_file` | `protein` (content) |
| `drugbank_full_search` | _(may fail)_ | Use `drugbank_vocab_search` as primary DrugBank lookup |

> **PubMed tip**: Use `sort="relevance"` (default) not `sort="pub_date"` — date-sorted queries can return empty for narrow topics. Tool name: `PubMed_search_articles`.
> **FDA labels**: Use `FDA_get_drug_label_info_by_field_value` with targeted `return_fields` to avoid oversized responses from `OpenFDA_search_drug_labels`.

---

## Workflow Overview

```
Phase 1: Pathogen Identification
├── Taxonomic classification (NCBI Taxonomy)
├── Closest relatives (for knowledge transfer)
├── Genome/proteome availability
└── OUTPUT: Pathogen profile
    |
Phase 2: Target Identification
├── Essential genes/proteins (UniProt)
├── Conservation across strains
├── Druggability assessment (ChEMBL)
└── OUTPUT: Prioritized target list (scored by essentiality/conservation/druggability/precedent)
    |
Phase 3: Structure Prediction (NvidiaNIM)
├── AlphaFold2/ESMFold for targets
├── Binding site identification
├── Quality assessment (pLDDT)
└── OUTPUT: Target structures (docking-ready if pLDDT > 70)
    |
Phase 4: Drug Repurposing Screen
├── Approved drugs for related pathogens (ChEMBL)
├── Broad-spectrum antivirals/antibiotics
├── Docking screen (get_diffdock_info)
└── OUTPUT: Ranked candidate drugs
    |
Phase 4.5: Pathway Analysis
├── KEGG: Pathogen metabolism pathways
├── Essential metabolic targets
├── Host-pathogen interaction pathways
└── OUTPUT: Pathway-based drug targets
    |
Phase 5: Literature Intelligence
├── PubMed: Published outbreak reports
├── BioRxiv/MedRxiv: Recent preprints (CRITICAL for outbreaks)
├── ArXiv: Computational/ML preprints
├── OpenAlex: Citation tracking
├── ClinicalTrials.gov: Active trials
└── OUTPUT: Evidence synthesis
    |
Phase 6: Report Synthesis
├── Top drug candidates with evidence grades
├── Clinical trial opportunities
├── Recommended immediate actions
└── OUTPUT: Final report
```

---

## Phase Summaries

### Phase 1: Pathogen Identification
Classify via NCBI Taxonomy (query param). Identify related pathogens with existing drugs for knowledge transfer. Determine genome/proteome availability.

**Genome assembly availability and QC**: After classifying the pathogen, use `NCBIDatasets_list_genomes_by_taxon` (params `taxon` as tax_id, `limit`, `reference_only`) to find the reference genome, `NCBIDatasets_get_genome_assembly` (param `accession`, e.g. "GCF_000005845.2") for assembly metrics (length, N50, GC%, contig/chromosome counts), and `NCBIDatasets_get_sequence_reports` (param `accession`) to map replicons (chromosomes/plasmids with RefSeq/GenBank accessions). For the full assembly-QC-to-characterization workflow, see the `tooluniverse-microbial-genome-characterization` skill.

**Open pathogen genomic surveillance**: For the priority pathogens covered by Pathoplexus (west-nile, ebola-zaire, ebola-sudan, cchf, mpox), use `Pathoplexus_count_sequences` (params `organism`, `group_by` e.g. `geoLocCountry` or lineage) to gauge sequencing volume and geographic/lineage spread, and `Pathoplexus_get_mutations` (params `organism`, `min_proportion` e.g. 0.95) to pull characteristic high-prevalence mutations for the circulating population. Use early to quantify outbreak footprint and flag conserved mutations before target selection.

**Phylogenetic context via Nextstrain**: For a tree-level view of how a pathogen is evolving and spreading (not just mutation counts), use `Nextstrain_list_datasets` (optional `pathogen` filter, e.g. `'mpox'`, `'ebola'`, `'flu'`, `'dengue'`, `'zika'`; pass `datasets_per_pathogen=0` to see every clade/lineage-level dataset rather than just the first 10) and `Nextstrain_get_dataset` (param `dataset`, e.g. `'mpox/clade-IIb'`) for a build's sequence count, last-update date, and available phylogenetic colorings (clade, lineage, region, host, etc.). Verified live: Nextstrain's mpox datasets list `Pathoplexus` in their own `data_provenance` alongside GenBank — the two tools draw from overlapping submissions, so cross-check mutation-level findings from Pathoplexus against the corresponding Nextstrain build's `updated` date and `num_sequences` to judge how current and well-powered the phylogenetic picture is.

**Knowledge transfer principle**: Drugs effective against related pathogens are the highest-priority repurposing candidates. A protease inhibitor for SARS-CoV-1 is immediately relevant to SARS-CoV-2. Look up the related pathogen's approved drugs in ChEMBL before generating candidates from first principles.

### Phase 2: Target Identification
Search UniProt for pathogen proteins (reviewed). Check ChEMBL for drug precedent. Score targets by: Essentiality (30%), Conservation (25%), Druggability (25%), Drug precedent (20%). Aim for 5+ targets.

### Phase 3: Structure Prediction
Use NvidiaNIM AlphaFold2 for top 3 targets. Assess pLDDT confidence. Only dock structures with pLDDT > 70 (active site > 90 preferred). Fallback: alphafold_get_prediction or ESMFold_predict_structure.

### Phase 4: Drug Repurposing Screen
Source candidates from: related pathogen drugs, broad-spectrum antivirals, target class drugs (DGIdb). Dock top 20+ candidates via get_diffdock_info. Rank by docking score and evidence tier.

### Phase 4.5: Pathway Analysis
Use KEGG to identify essential metabolic pathways. Map host-pathogen interaction points. Identify pathway-based drug targets beyond direct protein inhibition.

### Phase 5: Literature Intelligence
Search PubMed (peer-reviewed), BioRxiv/MedRxiv (preprints - critical for outbreaks), ArXiv (computational), ClinicalTrials.gov (active trials). Track citations via OpenAlex. Note: preprints are NOT peer-reviewed.

### Phase 6: Report Synthesis
Aggregate all findings into final report. Grade every candidate. Provide 3+ immediate actions, clinical trial opportunities, and research priorities.

---

## Evidence Grading

| Tier | Symbol | Criteria | Example |
|------|--------|----------|---------|
| **T1** | [T1] | FDA approved for this pathogen | Remdesivir for COVID |
| **T2** | [T2] | Clinical trial evidence OR approved for related pathogen | Favipiravir |
| **T3** | [T3] | In vitro activity OR strong docking + mechanism | Sofosbuvir |
| **T4** | [T4] | Computational prediction only | Novel docking hits |

---

## Completeness Checklist

### Phase 1: Pathogen ID
- [ ] Taxonomic classification complete
- [ ] Related pathogens identified
- [ ] Genome/proteome availability noted

### Phase 2: Targets
- [ ] 5+ targets identified
- [ ] Essentiality documented
- [ ] Conservation assessed
- [ ] Drug precedent checked

### Phase 3: Structures
- [ ] Structures predicted for top 3 targets
- [ ] pLDDT confidence reported
- [ ] Binding sites identified

### Phase 4: Drug Screen
- [ ] 20+ candidates screened
- [ ] FDA-approved drugs prioritized
- [ ] Docking scores reported
- [ ] Top 5 candidates detailed

### Phase 5: Literature
- [ ] Recent papers summarized
- [ ] Active trials listed
- [ ] Resistance data noted

### Phase 6: Recommendations
- [ ] 3+ immediate actions
- [ ] Clinical trial opportunities
- [ ] Research priorities

---

## Fallback Chains

| Primary Tool | Fallback 1 | Fallback 2 |
|--------------|------------|------------|
| `NvidiaNIM_alphafold2` *(requires NVIDIA_API_KEY env var; free key at build.nvidia.com)* | `alphafold_get_prediction` (AlphaFold DB by UniProt) | `ESMFold_predict_structure` |
| `get_diffdock_info` | `NvidiaNIM_boltz2` *(requires NVIDIA_API_KEY env var; free key at build.nvidia.com)* | Manual docking |
| `NCBIDatasets_suggest_taxonomy` | `UniProtTaxonomy_get_taxon` | Manual classification |
| `ChEMBL_search_drugs` | `drugbank_vocab_search` | PubChem bioassays |

---

## References

| File | Contents |
|------|----------|
| [TOOLS_REFERENCE.md](TOOLS_REFERENCE.md) | Complete tool documentation |
| [phase_details.md](phase_details.md) | Detailed code examples and procedures for each phase |
| [report_template.md](report_template.md) | Report template with section headers, checklist, and evidence grading |
| [CHECKLIST.md](CHECKLIST.md) | Pre-delivery verification checklist (quality, citations, docking) |
| [EXAMPLES.md](EXAMPLES.md) | Full worked examples (coronavirus, CRKP, limited-info scenarios) |

© mims-harvard · Apache-2.0 · mims-harvard/ToolUniverse

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