Ancylostoma caninum Genome Sequencing

The Genome Institute and collaborators are sequencing the dog hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum. Hookworm diseases are extremely common in the tropics and sub-tropics, with a disease burden comparable to measles and exceeding that of diabetes and lung cancer. A. caninum causes disease in dogs resulting often in severe anemia and death. This species, which belongs to the group of parasites most closely related to C. elegans, is a widely used model for hookworm infection.

基因组研究所（Genome Institute）及其合作者正针对犬钩口线虫（Ancylostoma caninum，俗称犬钩虫）开展测序工作。钩虫病在热带及亚热带地区广泛流行，其疾病负担可与麻疹相提并论，且超过糖尿病与肺癌的疾病负担。犬钩口线虫可引发犬类感染，常导致重度贫血甚至死亡。该物种属于与秀丽隐杆线虫（C. elegans）亲缘关系最紧密的寄生虫类群，是钩虫感染研究中广泛应用的模型生物。