A team led by Zhou et al. used metagenomic sequencing to identify strain‑level diversity among bacterial pathogens causing pneumonia, improving resolution beyond species identification. The study demonstrated that strain characterization from clinical specimens can reveal mixed infections, resistance markers, and finer epidemiologic links. This work advances pathogen diagnostics by enabling strain‑aware treatment decisions and outbreak tracing. For readers: metagenomic sequencing profiles all genetic material in a sample, allowing detection of multiple pathogens and resistance determinants without culture bias.