Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States.
Infect Genet Evol. 2013 Mar;14:137-46. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2012.11.002. Epub 2012 Nov 29.
Lymphatic filariasis is caused by three closely related nematode parasites: Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and Brugia timori. These species have many ecological variants that differ in several aspects of their biology such as mosquito vector species, host range, periodicity, and morphology. Although the genome of B. malayi (the first genome sequenced from a parasitic nematode) has been available for more than five years, very little is known about genetic variability among the lymphatic dwelling filariae. The genetic diversity among these worms is not only interesting from a biological perspective, but it may have important practical implications for the Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis, as the parasites may respond differently to diagnostic tests and/or medical interventions. Therefore, better information on their genetic variability is urgently needed. With improved methods for nucleic acid extraction and recent advances in sequencing chemistry and instrumentation, this gap can be filled relatively inexpensively. Improved information on filarial genetic diversity may increase the chances of success for lymphatic filariasis elimination programs.
班氏吴策线虫、马来丝虫和帝汶丝虫。这些物种有许多生态变体，在其生物学的几个方面存在差异，如蚊子媒介物种、宿主范围、周期性和形态。尽管马来丝虫的基因组（第一个从寄生线虫中测序的基因组）已经存在五年多了，但对淋巴管居住丝虫之间的遗传变异知之甚少。这些蠕虫之间的遗传多样性不仅从生物学角度来看很有趣，而且对全球消除淋巴丝虫病计划可能具有重要的实际意义，因为寄生虫可能对诊断测试和/或医疗干预有不同的反应。因此，迫切需要有关它们遗传变异的更好信息。随着核酸提取方法的改进以及测序化学和仪器的最新进展，这个差距可以相对廉价地填补。有关丝虫遗传多样性的更好信息可能会增加淋巴丝虫病消除计划成功的机会。
