Population_Genetics_and_Infection_Networks_of_Parasitic_Nematodes. Population_Genetics_and_Infection_Networks_of_Parasitic_Nematodes

Drug resistance is rife amongst nematode infections of livestock and is a growing concern for human infections. The economics of drug development mean that new drugs for humans will only come about as side-lines from livestock-focused research. While parasitic nematode infections are common and widespread, their population genetics and infection networks are poorly understood. Strongyloides is a widespread genus of parasitic nematode – two species infect humans. The genome assembly of S. ratti is a particularly complete assembly (among nematodes, second only to that of C. elegans). S. ratti infection is common – in the UK c. 60% of rats are infected. A study of S. ratti in rats will act as a model for future studies of human nematode infection. We will sample S. ratti at two sites, at two time points. The rationale of this approach is to ask about the nature and degree of genetic variation within a population over time, and how that differs (or not) among populations. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/