High throughput sequencing of the Angiostrongylus cantonensis genome: a parasite spreading worldwide.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasitic nematode of rodents and a leading aetiological agent of eosinophilic meningitis in humans. Definitive diagnosis is difficult, often relying on immunodiagnostic methods which utilize crude antigens. New immunodiagnostic methods based on recombinant proteins are being developed, and ideally these methods would be made available worldwide.

The genome of Anopheles darlingi, the main neotropical malaria vector.

Anopheles darlingi is the principal neotropical malaria vector, responsible for more than a million cases of malaria per year on the American continent. Anopheles darlingi diverged from the African and Asian malaria vectors ∼100 million years ago (mya) and successfully adapted to the New World environment. Here we present an annotated reference A.

Methods for detection of horizontal transfer of transposable elements in complete genomes.

Recent advances in nucleic acid sequencing technology are creating a diverse landscape for the analysis of horizontal transfer in complete genomes. Previously limited to prokaryotes, the availability of complete genomes from close eukaryotic species presents an opportunity to validate hypotheses about the patterns of evolution and mechanisms that drive horizontal transfer. Many of those methods can be transported from methods previously used in prokaryotic genomes, as the assumptions for horizontal transfer can be interpreted as the same.

Excretory/secretory products from in vitro-cultured Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces.

Cystic hydatid disease (CHD) is caused by infection with Echinococcus granulosus metacestodes and affects humans and livestock. Proteins secreted or excreted by protoscoleces, pre-adult worms found in the metacestode, are thought to play fundamental roles in the host-parasite relationship. In this work, we performed an LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis of the excretory-secretory products obtained from the first 48 h of an in vitro culture of the protoscoleces.

Proteomic analysis of the Echinococcus granulosus metacestode during infection of its intermediate host.

Cystic hydatid disease (CHD) is caused by infection with the Echinococcus granulosus metacestode and affects both humans and livestock. In this work, we performed a proteomic analysis of the E. granulosus metacestode during infection of its intermediate bovine host.

Quantitative determination of gene strand bias in prokaryotic genomes.

Comparative genometrics of microorganisms is a relatively new area, in which genome properties are translated into numerical indexes. Such indexes can be used for a comprehensive and comparative analysis of microbial genomes, contributing to the understanding of their evolution. This work presents a new method for quantitative determination of gene strand bias in prokaryotic chromosomes, in which data transformation of gene position skew leads to a numerical index that can be applied to quantitative comparisons of genome organization.

Swine and poultry pathogens: the complete genome sequences of two strains of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and a strain of Mycoplasma synoviae.

This work reports the results of analyses of three complete mycoplasma genomes, a pathogenic (7448) and a nonpathogenic (J) strain of the swine pathogen Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and a strain of the avian pathogen Mycoplasma synoviae; the genome sizes of the three strains were 920,079 bp, 897,405 bp, and 799,476 bp, respectively. These genomes were compared with other sequenced mycoplasma genomes reported in the literature to examine several aspects of mycoplasma evolution. Strain-specific regions, including integrative and conjugal elements, and genome rearrangements and alterations in adhesin sequences were observed in the M.