Echinococcus multilocularis

Echinococcus multilocularis is a member of the Cyclophyllidea, which comprise the majority of tapeworms that are of medical importance. The disease alveolar echinococcosis, which is caused by the larval stage of E. multilocularis, is considered to be one of the most dangerous worm infections in the world. Larval stages of the related tapeworms E. granulosus and Taenia solium cause the serious and life-threatening diseases cystic echinococcosis and neurocysticercosis, respectively. While E. granulosus, T. solium and T. saginata have a worldwide distribution E. multilocularis has a limited distribution within the Northern Hemisphere. However, recent data indicate a spread of E. multilocularis in Europe, Japan, and North America to areas that were previously free of the parasite leading to the classification of alveolar echinococcosis as an emerging zoonosis.

Data Downloads

This is a Wellcome Trust funded project to sequence the nuclear genome of E. multilocularis, in collaboration with Prof. Klaus Brehm of Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, University of Wurzburg. The assembled sequence data suggests the genome of E. multilocularis is approximately 110 MB and is being produced by whole genome shotgun sequencing using a mixture of capillary sequencing, illumina sequencing and 454 pyrosequencing. We are also profiling the transcriptome of different life cycle stages of this organism using RNA-seq.

Bibliography

  • The genomes of four tapeworm species reveal adaptations to parasitism.

    Tsai IJ, Zarowiecki M, Holroyd N, Garciarrubio A, Sánchez-Flores A, Brooks KL, Tracey A, Bobes RJ, Fragoso G, Sciutto E, Aslett M, Beasley H, Bennett HM, Cai X, Camicia F, Clark R, Cucher M, De Silva N, Day TA, Deplazes P, Estrada K, Fernández C, Holland PWH, Hou J, Hu S, Huckvale T, Hung SS, Kamenetzky L, Keane JA, Kiss F, Koziol U, Lambert O, Liu K, Luo X, Luo Y, Macchiaroli N, Nichol S, Paps J, Parkinson J, Pouchkina-Stantcheva N, Riddiford N, Rosenzvit M, Salinas G, Wasmuth JD, Zamanian M, Zheng Y, Taenia solium Genome Consortium, Cai J, Soberón X, Olson PD, Laclette JP, Brehm K and Berriman M

    Nature 2013;496;7443;57-63

    PUBMED: 23485966; PMC: 3964345; DOI: 10.1038/nature12031

Related links

Data Use Statement

This sequencing centre plans on publishing the completed and annotated sequences in a peer-reviewed journal as soon as possible. Permission of the principal investigator should be obtained before publishing analyses of the sequence/open reading frames/genes on a chromosome or genome scale. See our data sharing policy.

Sequencing enquiries

Please address all sequencing enquiries to: pathinfo@sanger.ac.uk

Short-link