Hookworm genomics: dusk or dawn?

Hookworms are parasites, closely related to the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, that are a major economic and health burden worldwide. Primarily three hookworm species (Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale, and Ancylostoma ceylanicum) infect humans. Another 100 hookworm species from 19 genera infect primates, ruminants, and carnivores.

High diversity and sharing of strongylid nematodes in humans and great apes co-habiting an unprotected area in Cameroon.

Rapid increases in human populations and environmental changes of past decades have led to changes in rates of contact and spatial overlap with wildlife. Together with other historical, social and environmental processes, this has significantly contributed to pathogen transmission in both directions, especially between humans and non-human primates, whose close phylogenetic relationship facilitates cross-infections. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing, we studied strongylid communities in sympatric western lowland gorillas, central chimpanzees and humans co-occurring in an unprotected area in the northern periphery of the Dja Faunal Reserve, Cameroon.