Whole genome sequences of nematodes of the order Strongylida

The order Strongylida (clade V) represents parasites most closely related to C. elegans, and the group most likely to benefit from the comparative value of its genome sequence. C. elegans has already served as an essential guide for exploring the genomes of other nematode species. However, transcriptomic data from parasitic nematode species, generated by EST approaches, have already served as a boon for C. elegans biology, as they confirm gene predictions and add depth to analyses of structure-function. Here, we propose sequencing the genomes of 20 species, members of the order Strongylida (‘strongylids’). Strongylids, including human hookworms and many intestinal parasites of livestock, are relatively closely related to one another and may have resulted from a recent radiation. To advance and facilitate molecular studies of strongylid parasites, an expressed sequence tag (EST)-based gene discovery program has been carried out, as a part of a broad study of the transcriptomes of members of the phylum Nematoda. More than 60,000 ESTs have been generated for key parasites of human and domestic animals, and for model parasitic species belonging to order Strongylida (comprising 83% of all clade V non-Caenorhabditis ESTs), and deposited in the public databases. Although the transcriptomic data hold promise for the development of novel control strategies for these important pathogens, emerging whole genome data will be pivotal in a more comprehensive approach to identify alternative control strategies, which is increasingly pressing as levels of parasite resistance to available drugs is rising, making some treatment strategies that worked just 5 years ago, ineffective. Also, some drug treatments and environmental nematocideecological contamination