\"Blood transcriptome sequencing of Common Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) experimentally infected by the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum (lineage SGS1)\" in Genomic Resources Notes accepted 1 June 2013-31 July 2013

In order to understand the epidemiology of this avian malaria infections both geographically and across host species there is a need of more polymorphic markers and knowledge about genes expressed during the infection of the host. However, technical difficulties have hindered the development of such molecular markers. The main difficulty is the fact that the host (birds) has nucleated erythrocytes and there is a 52-fold difference in the genome size between the host and the parasite. This has caused problems in trying to isolate and amplify novel nuclear genes of the avian malaria parasites. In order to overcome this difficulty and gain molecular data on nuclear genes we have sequenced blood transcriptomes of common crossbills experimentally infected with Plasmodium relictum SGS1 lineage. During development in the blood, the parasite undergoes several cycles of asexual development (erythrocytic merogony) and is invading numerous host cells and thus is expected to have a high level of ge...