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| Open AccessMultiple parallel origins of parasitic Marine Alveolates
The Marine Alveolates (MALVs) include important parasites of other protists/animals. Here, using new data from MALV-I, the psammosids, and a new group called the eleftherids, the authors show MALVs, and therefore parasitism in early dinoflagellates, evolved from two distinct free-living ancestors.
- Corey C. Holt
- , Elisabeth Hehenberger
- & Patrick J. Keeling
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Article
| Open AccessThe parasitic nematode Strongyloides ratti exists predominantly as populations of long-lived asexual lineages
Nematodes are important parasites of people and animals. Here, the authors study the population structure of a nematode parasite of wild rats finding that it consists of mixtures of mainly asexual lineages widely dispersed across the host population.
- Rebecca Cole
- , Nancy Holroyd
- & Mark Viney
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| Open AccessPropensity of selecting mutant parasites for the antimalarial drug cabamiquine
Authors utilize a number of models (mathematical, in vitro and in vivo infection) to analyse pre-clinical and Phase I clinical trial data, in regard to potential risk of resistance associated with a Plasmodium falciparum inhibitor, cabamiquine.
- Eva Stadler
- , Mohamed Maiga
- & Thomas Spangenberg
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Article
| Open AccessA unique Toxoplasma gondii haplotype accompanied the global expansion of cats
Toxoplasma gondii can infect all warm-blooded animals, with felidae being the definitive hosts. Despite this broad host range, most clinical and animal isolates belong to few clonal lineages. Here, Galal et al. perform whole-genome sequencing of isolates from distinct geographical regions and estimate T. gondii mutation rate and generation time. They find that recent waves of migration disseminated the parasite from Old to New World and identify a unique haplotype that likely accompanied the global expansion of cats and is today common to all intercontinental lineages and hybrid populations.
- Lokman Galal
- , Frédéric Ariey
- & Aurélien Mercier
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Article
| Open AccessPopulation genomics of ancient and modern Trichuris trichiura
The whipworm Trichuris trichiura is a soil-transmitted helminth that causes the neglected tropical disease trichuriasis in humans. Here, the authors produce whole genome sequences of modern and ancient samples from humans and non-human primates to characterise the genomic diversity and evolution of this pathogen.
- Stephen R. Doyle
- , Martin Jensen Søe
- & Christian Moliin Outzen Kapel
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Article
| Open AccessEvolution of sexual systems, sex chromosomes and sex-linked gene transcription in flatworms and roundworms
Transitions between hermaphroditic and separate sexes are relatively understudied in animals compared to pants. Here, Wang et al. reconstruct the evolution of separate sexes in the flatworms and complex changes of sex chromosomes in the roundworms.
- Yifeng Wang
- , Robin B. Gasser
- & Qi Zhou
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Article
| Open AccessZoonotic origin of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium malariae from African apes
Plasmodium malariae is a cause of malaria in humans and related species have been identified in non-human primates. Here, the authors use genomic analyses to establish that human P. malariae arose from a host switch of an ape parasite whilst a species infecting New World monkeys can be traced to a reverse zoonosis.
- Lindsey J. Plenderleith
- , Weimin Liu
- & Paul M. Sharp
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Article
| Open AccessDating Alphaproteobacteria evolution with eukaryotic fossils
Dating early bacterial evolution is challenging due to the limited bacterial fossil record. Here Wang and Luo use the close evolutionary relationship between Alphaproteobacteria and mitochondria to leverage the eukaryotic fossil record in dating Alphaproteobacteria origin and diversification.
- Sishuo Wang
- & Haiwei Luo
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Article
| Open AccessLarge scale genome reconstructions illuminate Wolbachia evolution
By greatly expanding the number of assembled genomes for Wolbachia (a group of intracellular bacteria) and constructing robust phylogenies, this study finds strong rate heterogeneity among Wolbachiapopulations and no support for synchronous divergence between Wolbachia and host mitochondria.
- Matthias Scholz
- , Davide Albanese
- & Omar Rota-Stabelli
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Article
| Open AccessThe global diversity of Haemonchus contortus is shaped by human intervention and climate
Based on single worm whole genome sequencing, the authors here characterise the global evolution of the gastrointestinal parasite Haemonchus contortus and identify genes that play a role in drug resistance as well as climate-driven adaptations involving an epigenetic regulator.
- G. Sallé
- , S. R. Doyle
- & J. A. Cotton
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Article
| Open AccessAdaptation of Plasmodium falciparum to humans involved the loss of an ape-specific erythrocyte invasion ligand
Here, Proto et al. show that human infective Plasmodium falciparum isolates contain an inactivating mutation in the erythrocyte invasion associated gene PfEBA165, while homologues of ape-infective Laverania species are intact, and that expression of intact PfEBA165 is incompatible with parasite growth in human erythrocytes.
- William R. Proto
- , Sasha V. Siegel
- & Julian C. Rayner
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Article
| Open AccessNon-competitive resource exploitation within mosquito shapes within-host malaria infectivity and virulence
The evolution of within-host malaria virulence has been studied, but the vector’s contribution isn’t well understood. Here, Costa et al. show that non-competitive parasitic resource exploitation within-vector, in particular lipid trafficking, restricts within-host infectivity and virulence of the parasite.
- G. Costa
- , M. Gildenhard
- & E. A. Levashina
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| Open AccessWild bonobos host geographically restricted malaria parasites including a putative new Laverania species
Unlike chimpanzees and gorillas, bonobos have not been found infected by malaria parasites in the wild. Here, Liu et al. report more thorough survey and sequencing results showing that bonobos host malaria parasites, including a yet-unknown species, but only in the eastern-most part of their range.
- Weimin Liu
- , Scott Sherrill-Mix
- & Beatrice H. Hahn
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| Open AccessIdentification of microsporidia host-exposed proteins reveals a repertoire of rapidly evolving proteins
Unbiased identification of proteins from pathogens that are exposed to a host can provide insight into host–pathogen interaction. Here, the authors use an enzymatic tagging method and mass spectrometry to identify rapidly evolvingNematocida microsporidia proteins when infecting C. elegans.
- Aaron W. Reinke
- , Keir M. Balla
- & Emily R. Troemel
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| Open AccessGenomes of cryptic chimpanzee Plasmodium species reveal key evolutionary events leading to human malaria
African apes harbour six Plasmodium species, one of which gave rise to the human malaria parasite. Here, Sundaraman et al. use selective whole-genome amplification to determine genome sequences from two chimpanzee Plasmodiumspecies, shedding light on the evolutionary origin of the human parasite.
- Sesh A. Sundararaman
- , Lindsey J. Plenderleith
- & Beatrice H. Hahn
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| Open AccessPhylogenomic and biogeographic reconstruction of the Trichinella complex
Trichinellosis is a globally important food-borne disease caused by roundworms of the Trichinella complex. Here the authors present genomic sequences representing all 12 recognized Trichinellaspecies and genotypes, and reconstruct their phylogeny and biogeography.
- Pasi K. Korhonen
- , Edoardo Pozio
- & Robin B. Gasser
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| Open AccessApe parasite origins of human malaria virulence genes
Antigens encoded by var genes are major virulence factors of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Here, Larremore et al. identify var-like genes in distantly related Plasmodiumspecies infecting African apes, indicating that these genes already existed in an ancestral ape parasite many millions of years ago.
- Daniel B. Larremore
- , Sesh A. Sundararaman
- & Caroline O. Buckee
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| Open AccessGenome sequencing of chimpanzee malaria parasites reveals possible pathways of adaptation to human hosts
Plasmodium falciparum, known to cause malaria in humans, evolved from parasites of African Great Apes. Here, the authors compare the genome of the human parasite, P. falciparum, with those of two related chimpanzee parasites, P. reichenowi and P. gaboni, and provide insight into the genetic basis of P. falciparumadaptation to human hosts.
- Thomas D. Otto
- , Julian C. Rayner
- & Matthew Berriman
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Article |
African origin of the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax
Plasmodium vivax, the leading cause of human malaria in Asia and Latin America, is thought to have an Asian origin. Here, the authors show that wild chimpanzees and gorillas in Africa are infected with parasites that are closely related to P. vivax, indicating an African origin for this species.
- Weimin Liu
- , Yingying Li
- & Paul M. Sharp
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| Open AccessA quantitative analysis of transmission efficiency versus intensity for malaria
Recent work has shown that the transmission of malaria from mosquito to human is inefficient. In this study, an analysis of published literature is used to understand this inefficiency, which is likely due to heterogeneous biting, where 20% of people receive 80% of the bites.
- David L. Smith
- , Chris J. Drakeley
- & Simon I. Hay